


Friday the 13th: The Game Part 2: with you

by Ombiance



Category: Friday the 13th Series (Movies), Friday the 13th: The Game (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 126,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23131288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ombiance/pseuds/Ombiance
Summary: With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Welcome to the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!
Relationships: A.J. Mason/Tiffany Cox, Deborah Kim/Adam Palomino, Jenny Myers/Kenny Riedell, Megan Garris/Tommy Jarvis, Sheldon "Shelly" Finkelstein/Vera Sanchez, Tina Shepard/Nick (Friday the 13th), Victoria Sterling/Chad Kensington
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

'Quiet, quiet...' thought A.J., hoping that her eyes would signal what she was thinking to Tiffany, who was also hiding in the wardrobe. They were in the cabin which held the CB Radio and its tower, which prompted A.J. and Tiffany to make a mad dash to it in the first place and call for help! Hopefully _someone_ was listening! They could only pray that was the case. But because it took them so long to figure out how to get it working (A.J. had never used one before, and neither had her girlfriend), they had fumbled and made a bigger noise than they ever would have wanted. So A.J. grabbed Tiffany's hand and ran to one of the wardrobes. As soon as they stepped in it, one of the doors of the cabin had slowly opened. A.J. knew the creak of those terrible doors from anywhere. She only knew that it wasn't one of the other counselors because the footsteps sounded slow, and heavy. 

'This is not good' she thought, Tiffany gets scared easily. She looked over to her, and her eyes are completely shut. But what, A.J. could only imagine as that stranger attacking one of the beds, created such a loud sound that Tiffany yelped, which made A.J. instinctively put her hand over Tiffany's mouth. The footsteps slowly headed towards them, then kept walking past the two girls to check out the other bed. She then, very very slowly, opened the door, to see a machete leaning against the wall. 'That was Rob's,' she thought. She looks over to Tiffany again, and realizes what she had to do. She lightly taps Tiffany's shoulder, Tiffany opens her eyes, and A.J. then gestures her to stay there. 

A.J., as loud as she could, opens the wardrobe door, shuts it, grabs the machete, and shouts "I'm over here, asshole!" and starts running out of the cabin, with the heavy footsteps following suit. She couldn't bear to look at the stranger behind her, just that she needed to get that, _thing_ , away from Tiffany as much as she could. 

After a good couple of minutes she had come across the workshop, but with no one following her. She jogs to the door and locks it behind her, sinking to the floor to catch her breath. "Are you okay?" A.J. did _not_ recognize their voice, but is glad to see these two people as they come to her aid as soon as they saw her. "W-who are you?" she heavily breathes out. The girl, who is wearing a white long sleeve sweatshirt tucked into her blue jeans, says "Hi. I'm Tina. Tina Shepard" as she tries to comfort her by placing a hand on her shoulder. The guy, wearing a blue, polo? Tucked into his jeans with a denim jacket over it (and a, shotgun?! On his back!), reaches out his hand to her, and says "I'm Tommy Jarvis. We heard someone calling out for help on the radio." ' _Oh thank god _' A.J. thought, as she allows him to pull her back up. She notices the silver cutlass supreme car beyond the workshop door. A.J. then starts pleading "You have to rescue us! That man, that _thing_ ,-" "Jason Voorhees" Tommy interrupts. "What? That's really him? No it can't be-" "We're here to stop him" he says definitively. "No, we have to get everyone out of this camp! My friends, my _girlfriend_ is out there!" "The only way we can truly save everyone is to defeat Jason for good. We can't let him kill anymore people than he already has" Tommy rebuttals. Tina, however, follows with "Don't worry, no one else is dead yet. And we won't let anyone else die this time."__

____

"So how do you suppose we stop Jason?" and there comes in a voice A.J. _did_ recognize. Jenny! She had entered through the opened door and continues, "How would you even know how to stop him?" It did seem strange, they arrived pretty fast, and armed, A.J. had noticed. "You may not believe me, but we have stopped him separately before. We both have a responsibility to finish this out, as we lost many friends thanks to that monster" Tommy's disgust let out an emphasis on that last word when he said it, with Tina looking somewhat sad, but still as strong of a conviction as Tommy's. 

____

"To stop Jason we're going to need to stun him for a while. I've tracked down a survivor of his first massacre, my first run-in with him, and she told me very interesting things," he explains to Jenny and A.J., "I didn't think child psychology would be this useful." He then pulls out a map and points at a specific spot to Tina "Ginny said the shack was around here, can you go get the sweater?" "I can do that," Tina says as she starts facing Jenny, "I'm sorry, hi, I'm Tina, and your name?" "Jenny Myers" "Jenny, would you mind coming with me to the shack?" Tina asks. "Sure, but I'll need a bat in case we run into this Jason. You'll need a weapon too" Jenny suggests, but Tina and Tommy glance at each other for a second, with Tommy intervening "She won't need one." They head off to find this shack, with Tommy asking A.J. "Do you know how to fix and control a Power Utility Box?" "Me? I wouldn't trust myself with something like that" A.J. responds. As soon as she had said that, the two hear some rustling outside, and in stumbles LaChappa, "Oh thank goodness I thought I was a goner!" "Tommy Jarvis I think you've found your man" A.J. comments.

____

After about half an hour later, A.J., Tommy, and LaChappa had met up with Jenny and Tina returning from this supposed "shack". Tina had donned a, what A.J. can describe as, a blue sweater. But a sweater that has DEFINITELY seen better days. It was quite dirty, with what may be blood at the top of it. Tommy had told Tina through their walkie-talkies to show up to the archery range. "A.J., is it? Do you mind trading weapons with me?" Tommy had asked. 'Why would he want to trade my machete for his shotgun? Also why not just ask me for the machete and kept both?' A.J. wondered, but it seemed that Tommy knew exactly what he was doing, so she said "Sure", and they traded. Tina, tying up her hair while walking up to them, says "Is everything ready, Tommy? I filled in to Jenny on what to do." "Almost. We have Eric LaChappa here who just finished repairing the Box, and has his hand on the circuit breaker, when I give him the call. We just need someone to lure Jason here." "Okay. Then I'll hide behind one of the targets until it's time.." Tina says, then jogs to her respective spot. ' _LURE_ Jason here?!' A.J. thought in horror. But Jenny spoke up "I can lure him here. I need to protect my counselors. As much as Jason is your responsibility, the lives of the counselor's, my friends, are mine." Tommy nodded.

____

But before they could enact the first part of their plan, someone was heading their way to them. "No! Please somebody help!" 'That voice, it couldn't be. No no no no no,' thought A.J. But it was. Running towards them, and tumbling down the hill with rocks located behind the targets, was Tiffany, with that _brute_ without his mask in hot pursuit. A.J. had never felt more terrified in her entire life. She couldn't lose her. She _can't_. She picks up the shotgun and aims at Jason, only for Tommy to pull the gun back down. "A.J. no, we can't afford that. Don't worry" Tommy explains. Tiffany is almost to them, in-between the targets and the wooden platform where the gang was standing on, but Jason finally grabs a hold of her by the throat and starts to lift her. A.J. angrily faces Tommy, but Tommy is too preoccupied, shouting "NOW!"

____

Hearing that cue, LaChappa slams on the circuit breaker. Two large spotlights light up behind Jason towards the targets, revealing Tina. "JASON!" Jason turns around as he drops Tiffany. Tina then continues, "It's all done, Jason. You've done your job well, and Mommy is pleased." Tina had the most warmest smile. "That's a good boy. Now, come to Mommy. Come on." Jason seemed to be in a trance. Was he imagining Tina as his mother? Not caring about the plan in the least, nor the consequences of her actions, A.J. rushes in, scoops up Tiffany, and runs back to the rest of the group. Jason faces A.J. and Tiffany, but Tina in a stern tone says "Jason turn around, Mother is talking to you." Jason faces Tina again, with Tina smiling "Come on. That's my boy. Come. _Kneel_ down." Jason gets closer and closer to Tina. Jenny, armed with her baseball bat, had been sneaking closer and closer behind the whole thing, and _slams_ the baseball bat to the back of Jason's head, causing him to fall onto his knees. "That's a boy. Kneel down. That's my good boy. That's a good boy. Good Jason." Tommy, meanwhile, after Jason had faced Tina the second time, had moved all around to the back of Tina, and crept closer and closer, wielding the machete . Once Tina had said her last compliment to complete the trance, she slowly moves out of the way as Tommy lands a blow to the top of Jason's head. He pulls out the machete, and lands the final blow onto the right side of Jason's head, just as Tommy had done many, many years ago. Jason falls down, his head slicing down through the machete until his face hits the ground. He no longer moves.

____

Tommy then falls on his behind, arms keeping him up behind him. "It's over" he says as he turns over to where A.J. and Tiffany are. They were both sitting on the wooden platform, AJ holding Tiffany's face in her hands, Tiffany holding A.J.'s arms. She saw tears start welling up in her girlfriend's eyes, and started making A.J.'s eyes watery as well. She can't believe she almost lost this girl. "A.J..." is all Tiffany said, and they both started crying in each other's arms. A.J.'s makeup was not a concern to her at that moment.

____

"Turns out I didn't need to use my powers after all" Tina commented to Tommy. "Powers?" Jenny asked, piquing her curiosity. Tina shook her head, "Nevermind, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Jenny looked at her incredulously, "Are you kidding me?! With what just happened, I think I might start believing everything now-" then a thought hit Jenny, "Oh no, the other counselors!" Tina stops her, "Don't worry, they're all okay. Well, alive." "How do you know that?" Jenny asks. Then Tommy side comments "I thought you said you didn't need to use your powers" and laughs about it, Tina eye-rolling.

____

Tommy stops laughing and starts groaning. "What's wrong now?" Tina asks. Tommy looks up at Tina, then says "Megan is going to kill me when she hears about all of this."

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading! This is my very first fan-fiction, so I was a bit nervous, but playing the game so much in the span of a month I just HAD to write my favorite ship in it! If you play the Friday the 13th (1980) soundtrack while reading chapter 1, most of it works really well! I'm sure you know which tracks to use for which parts. This series I'm going to place between parts VII and VIII of the movies, despite the year still being in 1984. Honestly with how stretched out the timeline is yet still having 80's styles, it's better to not dwell on it too much. I'll try my best to post a new chapter every Friday, so if you liked it please keep coming by!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Thanks to Tommy Jarvis fixing the phone fuse box and Tina Shepard calling the paramedics (two people Tiffany would never want to forget for the rest of her life), the counselors were rushed to the hospital. Tiffany had scrapes and cuts, but they were nothing compared to the others as Jenny informed her: Vanessa with a concussion, Debbie's back hit with a knife thrown(???), Kenny with a broken arm, Adam's legs both broken, and Fox's dislocated shoulder. She felt absolutely awful about all of it, it still made her want to cry thinking about that night. But it helped make her feel better knowing that they are getting better, and that she was with her. Speaking of...

"Spacing out all of the time won't be good for you, y'know?" AH it's her girlfriend! She runs up to A.J. and gives her a quick kiss before wincing in pain. "Ow!" "Babe, you're still healing. You didn't _need_ to kiss me now. Also, why are you all the way out here?" A.J. asks. Tiffany realizes what her girlfriend brought up, then starts looking around. Whoops! She didn't notice she was walking in thought. "Haha, sorry. I don't normally space out while walking.." which prompts A.J. to give a look of concern when Tiffany said that. Tiffany tries to turn it around though, "And of COURSE I needed to kiss you! I HAVE to kiss you when I see you!". "Haha, I won't be able to change your mind about that then. Can we sit down for a sec?" "Yeah!" so they do, and they lean on each other for a bit, something that seems like absolute forever since they last did that. But she can't help but notice that A.J. is tense.

A.J. pulls the two apart and faces her while holding her hands. "Listen," "Uh-huh?" Tiffany responds amusingly. "Tiffany stop you're going to make me laugh!" "Okay okay I'm sorry, you were saying?". A.J. sighs (maybe to muster up strength? It must be important), then begins. " _Listen_ , I was thinking, when we get back home, if you would like to, move in with me?" did she hear that right? "Or is it too soo-" "YES! I mean, yes, I'll move in with you!"

It seemed like A.J. couldn't even contain herself after hearing that response, as she went straight for a hug! "Aw! A.J.!" and Tiffany reciprocates! Two minutes later though... "A.J.?" Her girlfriend didn't seem to want to let go. Her head buried in Tiffany's shoulder, starts saying "I was so afraid to lose you..." 'She was this worried about me?' thought Tiffany. Tiffany gives her an even bigger hug and says "We're okay now", hoping to get rid of A.J.'s anxieties. It may have worked, as after a couple of seconds A.J. pulls away, stares, then smiles at Tiffany.

"As much as the Morgue is more of my style, I think we should head back" A.J. comments as they get back up from the bench, making Tiffany look around again. 'I didn't think I wandered that far' she'd thought. They take their time heading back, hand in hand, one because they can spend time alone, and two, they have NO idea where anything is. This is their first (and last) time they were in this hospital. There weren't a lot of people working today, so they could indulge in themselves being together just a bit more.

Until someone is heading towards them! Damn. They weren't mad about that though, because the closer he got to them the more Tiffany realized it was Kenny! It seems like he hasn't lost any of his energy, because as soon as he recognized them, he jogs up to them as fast as he (appropriately, since it's still a hospital) could!

"Girls! Hey!" Kenny says. He's so happy to see them! He tries to put his arms around the two girls, as he's always loved doing that to everyone, but he had just gotten surgery on one of them, so he flinches and tries to laugh it off. Tiffany, watching all of that, thinks 'This isn't fair. None of this is fair...' and starts feeling horrible again. She snaps out of it a bit and tries to hide it to the best of her ability when Kenny starts talking again (though A.J. is a very observant person). "I was looking for you two!" he says in his usual excitement. "Are you feeling better?" A.J. would ask. "Oh absolutely! Never felt better!-" Kenny somehow interrupts himself by being in pain however, as he tries to pose while forgetting his broken arm. "Kenny!" the two girls both exclaimed. Kenny laughs it off again, "Anyways, Jenny and I have been talking, and told me all about what you two have also been through. We decided that it would be best to get everyone back to L.A. as soon as possible, to make sure that they feel completely safe before we can get all of you re-situated back into your normal lives."

Hearing that, Tiffany's face lit up again. "Can we really go back home that quickly?!" "Yes! In fact you can leave tomorrow! I'm leaving tonight to straighten some things up back home!" he answers Tiffany. "Is that really alright? What about the rest of the group? Not to mention the police. Don't they have questions for us?" A.J. asked. She really brought up some important points. "Don't worry about them! Some of them are going to fly out later this week too! Jenny will be staying here until the ones who haven't been cleared by the hospital are well enough to leave. She has to clean up some loose ends on this end," Kenny explains, "As for the police, Jenny knows all of the details of what has happened to you two and everyone else and will be questioned by her if they need more information. I don't even think that the police will be questioning Jenny at all..." he says as he spots another person heading towards them, "Speaking of, hey I gotta head back to check on everybody else! I'll see you two later!" he gives a quick hug to each of them and heads back, hugging said person that was heading towards them as he passes her by. 'Even after everything that's happened, Kenny still takes his role of Head Counselor through to the end' Tiffany thought to herself, then recognizes the person coming up to them is Tina from last night!

Tina makes a small awkward hello gesture to them as she asks "Are you two doing okay?" "We're-" A.J. starts but Tiffany interrupts energetically "Gr-r-reat!" Her girlfriend gives Tiffany an incredulous look, then turns away to hold in her laughter for a brief moment. Tina looks confused about what just happened, but then shakes it off. "It looks like you know Kenny by now! Do you know what he meant by the police not going to question Jenny?" Tiffany asks her. A.J. interjects with her own question "Hold on Tiffany. Before that, yes you and Tommy both saved us, and I can never repay for what you two have done. But I still have a bone to pick with him. Where is he?" 'Is she mad?' Tiffany wondered.

Tina had to think for a moment about what A.J. was referring to, then remembered as she glances at Tiffany. "About Tommy. You'll have to forgive him. Growing up he had to live in plenty of mental hospitals, so he's still trying to get used to getting along with people. Which I can understand because I've had a similar lifestyle growing up..." Tina admits as she looks to the side. 'So _that's_ why she looks uncomfortable right now! She must really not like hospitals' Tiffany thought. "So he isn't able to convey himself in the right way. But in no way would Tiffany have been killed. I would've especially made sure of that." "I, I suppose" A.J. says, trying to rationalize Tommy's thinking. Tina hesitantly brings up another point to close up any last worries.

"About Jason," she begins. Both of the girls change their entire demeanor as Tina continued, "We returned him to his original resting place, where he drowned in 1957. In the same manner that Tommy and I had finished him off previous times. As I also destroyed the only dock afterwards onto him, hopefully no one finding him, let alone swimming or taking a boat onto the lake in the first place anymore." Both girls merely nodding.

"Oh and you don't have to worry about the police. Tommy has an friend who is the sheriff of the town, so they should be taking care of the last of the logistics. Though that sheriff is a pretty stubborn guy. Speaking of logistics, Jenny is VERY good at getting that done" Tina comments. "Oh yeah Jenny is the best! She's Kenny's assistant for a reason!" Tiffany states with A.J. nodding in agreement. "Is Tommy your boyfriend?" Tiffany continues. Tina is shocked to hear that.

"Tommy is NOT my boyfriend. My boyfriend actually just finished night school, so now we're moving to Oregon. While Tommy told me that he and his girlfriend are moving to California. I think we all just need to get away from this place and move on with our lives. I still need to finish up some things, so..." Tina finally says as she gestures a goodbye and she starts heading back, but not before Tiffany throw in a quick hug and nudging A.J. to do the same. 

"Sorry to keep you, but I've been wondering about something for a while. You said that you 'destroyed' the dock. How?" A.J. asks. Tina ponders for a second, then smiles and replies "I'm telekinetic! We'll keep in touch" as she heads back, satisfied that she can trust them. Tiffany and A.J. both did not know what to think of when given _that_ kind of response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading again! This is the last chapter with so much exposition, so that way we can finally start delving into the two girls' actual lives! It may seem a bit unorthodox that there are so many survivors, but Jason always had an element of surprise in the movies. Shouldn't have killed Rob in front of everyone now, huh Jason? Also I like to imagine Deborah (Debbie) and Tiff becoming good friends throughout the Summer before that night! 'Til next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

They were only at the hospital for a day (Wessex was it? She couldn't remember), yet they were already heading home. It was still unbelievable, they had all managed to survive that, that, 'No, gotta be _strong_ , for her,' A.J. thought. Yesterday all of the now former counselors agreed to fly back to L.A. before they can think of what to do next, so the two girls are borrowing Tina's car and driving to the airport. It was better to get away as far as possible from that place. That lake. But someone was being awfully quiet...

"Hey sweetie are you okay?" she asks Tiffany. "Hm?! Oh, yeah! I'm totally fine!" she is not fine. A.J. is sure of that. She can try to distract her until they land back home. "Let's turn on some bad tunes! Here," she says as she turns on the radio.

 _Oh, and feelin' so free_  
_Out on the beat (out on the beat)_  
_Oh, you st-_

But Tiffany immediately turns it off, with a split second of fear flashing on her face, before returning to her (somewhat) normal self. "Oh I'm sorry! Um, let's just talk for a bit, shall we?... Hey, is it really okay for me to move in?" she sheepishly asks.

"Of COURSE it's okay. Unless you don't want to?" A.J. asks. 'Crap, have I been too pushy?' she had thought, but her worries were immediately dissipated. "No I definitely want to move in! It's just that I have so much stuff! Oh gosh my clothes. I have so many! Will it all fit in your place?" "Hmmm, I don't know, I guess we'll just have to throw out most of your clothes" "A.J. don't you even THINK about it!" and they both start laughing. 

They stop at a red light, and start interlacing their fingers. A.J. glances down at their hands and smiles. They keep them interlaced as the light turns green and A.J. continues to drive. They pass by what they could assume is the sheriff department, and they spot a red camaro parked in front of it. "Oh my gosh do you think Tommy drives that?" her girlfriend asks. "TOMMY?" A.J. reiterates before laughing, "Hahaha no way. Knowing him, that's probably his girlfriend's and he borrowed it because it was faster than his own car" she would comment, making Tiffany giggle profusely.

After driving some more, Tiffany brings up another question. "Hey, seeing as how it might take two or so days before we can get all of my stuff moved, can you..." "Can I...?" "... Can you spend the night at my place?" "Tiffany, _absolutely_. It'll be fine" A.J. reassures her. _They'll_ be fine, A.J. and Tiffany had both thought separately. At least, A.J. would hope so, maybe her luck in life finally shifting for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Chapter 3 was actually the very first chapter I wrote, since when I decided to write this fic, I thought the first two chapters would be too hard due to exposition. As you may have guessed by the references, Part VI is my favorite of the movies. Yes, that was Summer of Heat that played for just a moment (what a good song!). And I, just a teensy bit, might throw in references to their stats too, seen by someone's "Luck." They're sweet girls though. I hope you liked it! See you next week!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany is just super happy right now! Being able to move into A.J.'s place! This is just too exciting. She's in her bedroom folding up the last of her clothes while A.J. is stacking Tiffany's music, cassette tapes and vinyls, into one of the cardboard boxes. She would normally feel a bit ashamed 'cause all she has been doing is packing her clothes while A.J. has gotten nearly everything else packed. But she's just too happy! The fact that A.J. is in the living room helping her pack is rad! The fact that A.J. is in the very next room in general is a great feeling. Relieving. Soothing? Rad. 'I really should get rid of some of these clothes though. When was the last time I wore this?' Tiffany asks herself as she holds up a top.

While trying to make her decision, two arms sprout from behind and immediately hug her! "It seems to me that _I'm_ the one doing all the packing around here!" A.J. says to her, keeping the taller girl ensnared. "No wait I'm packing! Promise!" Tiffany pleads. A.J. merely hums as she relaxes into her hold, leaning her head onto Tiffany's neck. Tiffany drops the top on the bed, touches A.J.'s hand and thinks 'I'd have never thought A.J. would be this sweet when we met!' She shifts around to settle into the hug she gives back. A minute longer before A.J. breaks the silence. She looks up to Tiffany and says "Not even!" and starts moving forward, causing the both to topple over onto the bed! Both giggle for a bit, then Tiffany had a realization. "The clothes!" she had all of them folded on the bed! Tiffany sits up as fast as she could, with A.J. following suit after seeing Tiffany's urgency. A.J. looks behind her since the both are sitting on the bed and says "Oh. Just throw it all in the box! Don't worry about it." A.J. looks over and Tiffany is mortified to hear that. "I'm _kidding_ , c'mon let's get these packed up too."

After finishing all of the packing, they both collapse back onto the bed. "A.J., I think us packing as soon as we landed wasn't the best idea..." "Yeah, I don't think we've gotten a break at all. I might pass out right now" A.J. yawns, eyelids starting to close. They really had been packing all day! "Wait not yet!" Tiffany exclaims. She gets up, pulls A.J.'s arm to make A.J. at least sit up, and says "Let's play a song for a bit before we sleep!" "Tiffany i crammed it all into that box-" "it's fine it's fine! I'll put it back when I'm done!" and she jogs out of the bedroom into the living room, finds the box, rummages it for a couple of seconds (if Tiffany has memorized anything in life it's her stuff!), finds the blue cassette case, pulls out the boombox, and brings both back to the bedroom. She sets the boombox on the floor, opens the case, and pops in the white cassette. She distinctively remembered playing "When You Were Mine" the week she was going to fly out to Jersey, so she knew EXACTLY what song was going to play next. It was perfect. She presses play, and it starts as she takes A.J.'s hand to raise her up. A.J. initially obliges, until she starts hearing the keyboard-synths and the jangly guitar. A.J. looks at Tiffany in awe. 

_Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you_   
_Caught up in circles_   
_Confusion is nothing new_   
_Flashback, warm nights_   
_Almost left behind_   
_Suitcase of memories_   
_Time after_

Tiffany had to softly nudge A.J. to get her out of whatever trance she was in (that must be a good sign, right? Tiffany thought so!), and they start to slow dance together. They may have been extremely tired, but that may have added onto this moment, making it the more magical. Especially with the bedroom window's curtains not closed yet, revealing the sprawl of their city's lights and the night sky. But every time Tiffany looks down onto A.J., A.J. looks away. Tiffany was a little puzzled by this, and MAY have seen her eyes being, watery? Tiffany shrugs it off, thinking she's probably just tired. Tiffany's eyes get water herself when she gets tired. Nevertheless, she brings the shorter girl even closer, and sharing their air of comfortablility with each other. When the song nearly ends, Tiffany leans in, notices A.J. mouthing something for a split second, but then any last minuscule space between the two was closed by a kiss. They bring space back between them, both still taking in that moment, kiss again, Tiffany offering that they should sleep now. A.J. nods. 

They slept in for twelve hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, maybe Time After Time is a bit cheesy, but I unironically love that song SO much. Adding it in this chapter gives just a bit of 80's goodness, which I will try my best to do. I also do intend to add in their friends more and less later on, but at the end of the day, it IS the A.J. and Tiffany Saga! I hope y'all be safe!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"That was the most sleep I've gotten in a really long time" A.J. said to Tiffany. The both of them were carrying the first set of boxes to A.J.'s, well, now _their_ (that distinction is important), apartment. "From bad cabin beds, to bullshit, to immediate hospital. The bed at the motel before we headed to the airport wasn't great either" A.J. comments. "Not to mention flying back right in the morning, then ANOTHER immediate with packing. No wonder we've gotten so much sleep!" Tiffany adds, "It was nice of Tommy and Tina to let us stay at their motel when we got out of the hospital though!" "Oh yeah definitely. Too bad we didn't see much of them. They really are surprisingly nice. Them getting our things from, that place, was helpful too" A.J. continues. "I hope we get to see them again! Especially Tina!" "Don't worry I gave her my phone number." Hearing that good news, Tiffany nods approvingly, _then_ almost tripping. "Tiffany!" "I'm fine! Whoops hahaha" The taller girl laughs off.

They climb up the stairs pass the second floor onto the third floor. Something crosses A.J.'s mind though. 'Oh no she's going to see MY STUFF. What if she gets weirded out by it? FUCK why didn't it hit me earlier?!' she thought. She has a mini internal crisis until her normal walk cycle reminds her that she's near her front door. As she's pulling out her keys from her pocket with one hand (and keeping the box afloat with the other), she senses, not really jumping, but as she looks to her left, the culprit being Tiffany just bouncing in excitement. 

A.J. unlocks the door and preps herself for the worst, but it never did show up! Instead Tiffany puts the box onto the ground as she says "Wow!" and starts looking around in excitement! "All of these posters! Kiss, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Ratt, Anthrax," she says as she scans the living room, "Hey, who's this?" Tiffany now asks as she looks up at a poster of a menacingly looking guy with long black hair and a lizard earring looking down on her, red cursive scribbled on the bottom. A.J., being amused by Tiffany's marvelment of the living room, answers "Oh that's Sammi Curr. His music is pretty dark. His personality is kinda, uh, strong though." "Oh..." is all Tiffany says as she stares at him for a while longer before she goes to look at the other posters. 'She's basically a happy dog wagging her tail frantically looking at everything' A.J. thinks to herself. Tiffany turns to look at her, which caught A.J. off guard because she caught herself smiling while looking at her girlfriend's enjoyment, but doesn't back down and try to hide it. Looking satisfied to see that smile, Tiffany continues to look around. "You know we need to get the other boxes from my car, right?" "... RIGHT" Tiffany says as she gestures an apologetic wave then both heading back to A.J.'s car (a white mazda 626). They open the car door and continue taking boxes from it to the apartment, Tiffany being quite fast at doing that! 'She sure has a lot of stamina' A.J. thinks as her girlfriend even passes her and goes for another box when A.J. is halfway. When she gets to the apartment she tells her girlfriend there is one left. Tiffany, now calming down from using most of her energy, offers to go get it.

But when Tiffany returns just a moment later with the last box she's back to her full energy! "Hey have you ever heard of a club called Tech Noir? It was on Pico Boulevard!" she had asked. "I think so. Just never gotten around to going to it I guess." "Apparently right after we flew out to Jersey the place was shot up! And the police station was basically trashed the same way right after! Maybe even worse!" Tiffany explained. 'How did this girl even get that information? She went down to get the box for only a couple of minutes. She is just full of surprises' A.J. thought. "That's crazy. Did they every catch the person who did it?" "No! They never found out who did it!" Tiffany said. A whole station? That is shocking to A.J. at the least, "Sorry to stop you, but trade apartment keys with me. I'm gonna motor over to your old place to get some more of the boxes" "Ah! But I wanted us to do it together!" "Yes yes Tiffany I know, but we'll cut it down to two more trips instead of three if I make this trip myself so I can fit more into my car" A.J. explained. Tiffany started pouting, then A.J. brought up "Plus, you wanted to look around your new place now, right? This'll give you more time to do that." Tiffany seemed to mull it over, then smiles "Alright, but you better hurry up!" "Don't worry it should take about 40 minutes. You can even unpack if you want. I'll be right back" A.J. says as she does a small wave before leaving.

It takes about 15 minutes to drive to the old place. A.J. heads in and gathers up most of the boxes into her car. As she gets the box full of clothes, she looks around the bedroom and shakes her head. 'I can't believe I almost cried again. Did she know?' she wondered. But it was such a beautiful moment for her, making her heart flutter again. She takes a deep breath and continues her work. She opens her passenger door and shoves the box into the tight space before closing it and driving back.

When she gets back she sees that from the first set of boxes, one marked "The Secret Goods~" (Tiffany's underwear and the such) was empty. 'Ah she must've packed some stuff already.' Then here comes in Tiffany from the bedroom. Normally when Tiffany sees her again she goes in for a kiss, which A.J. did not mind one bit. But not this time. Instead she looks shocked, prompting A.J. to ask "What's wrong?" until she holds up some case in her right hand. A.J. notices exactly what she's holding, and Tiffany reaches into her box marked "Music!" for her copy of the same blue case. "She must've found it in the drawer with my socks and such. I _did_ tell her she could pack if she wanted' A.J. realized. She then explains, "Time After Time. It's my favorite song ever" this feeling of dread starts piling up insider her again, but it goes away when Tiffany becomes excited hearing about it! "Aw A.J. you don't have to hide it away!" she says as she dives into a hug. "Just make sure not to tell anyone else" A.J. says. "What? But-" "Tiffany _please_ " A.J. pleads. Tiffany sees how serious she is, then says "A.J., totally. If it means that much to you, it's our secret" to assure her. "Thank you" the shorter one says, and seeing as how Tiffany just remembered, gives her a kiss. "Help me with your stuff?" A.J. asks her, with the girl nodding.

After bringing in the second batch of Tiffany's stuff they decide to take a break on the sofa, with A.J. drinking a Dr Pepper and Tiffany a Pepsi (with Tiffany still looking around the apartment). A.J. stares at the soda in her hand for a while, then brings back up what they had talked about earlier. "That song," she says catching Tiffany's attention, who had to think for a second before figuring out what A.J. had brought up, "It uh, means a lot to me. I had always listened to rock, and I still do. It's my thing. But that song really spoke to me. It made me realize that specific part of me that I never knew, or didn't want to admit. But it also made me hopeful." Tiffany then leans onto A.J., to what A.J. could deem as a way of Tiffany understanding or being there for her, which she appreciated. "Sorry for dumping all this on you on moving day" she tries to wisecrack, but Tiffany just shakes her head at the notion.

Realizing that they had gotten too comfortable, A.J. sets down the empty can onto the table, and sticks out her left hand to Tiffany. Tiffany takes it, and the two reel back, using that momentum to push themselves off of the sofa to stand up. "Lets go get the rest of your stuff!" "Okay!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This time I added two references to two movies I absolutely love from around that time period! Can you tell which ones they are? A.J. seems to freak out internally a bit too much about her style or strength, but hopefully she'll learn to grow out of it, especially with Tiffany! Again thank you for reading, and please stay safe!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany sits up from their bed and stretches out her arms. It was such a nice way to wake up. That her girlfriend being right next to her while they sleep? She's definitely lucky. She was sure of it. This really is nice! 'And she's so warm too!,' Tiffany thinks to herself as she looks at her sleeping rocker chick, 'A.J.'s warmness really does help me go to sleep.' It made her feel safe. And of course warm and cozy! 'To think that I get to see her without her make-up! No eye-shadow or eyeliner!' Tiffany was getting too giddy thinking about it! But she had to stop herself otherwise she'd run the risk of waking up A.J.! 'She sure loves to sleep in!' she now entertains herself with the observation, opposite of Tiffany herself who wakes up pretty early in the mornings. She then pauses, and thinks 'Oh who am I kidding?', and gets back under the covers, snuggling right next to the warm love-bug.

They both wake up an hour later entangled in each other's arms and legs. A.J. rises up first, and just sits there. And sits there. With her eyes barely open. Tiffany, who had gotten up after A.J., just stares at her. 'Is it really this hard for her to drag herself out of bed?,' she wonders, 'Wait, is she asleep?' "Hey, are you asleep?" she now reiterates out loud. Her girlfriend, who just swayed back and forth a small amount, lazily, hums "Uh uh..." Tiffany finds this all a bit funny (and cute!), so she hugs her and says "You should probably shower to wake yourself up!" A.J. merely nods at the suggestion.

It takes five more minutes before A.J. finally gets out of bed and out towards the bathroom. Tiffany giggles, stretches, and hops out of bed right after. She makes the bed and decides to finish unpacking the rest of the stuff she didn't get to yesterday. It takes her a while, but she ends up almost done. She heads to the living room to grab a small box (dubbed "Precious Treasures"), then raises her head to see that _that_ poster is looking at her again. The Sammi Curr one. Menacingly like yesterday. She heads towards it and stares into his eyes. As if they were having a staring contest. She then backs down and frowns, admitting she had lost. 'It's so creepy...' is all she could think of him. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" A.J. asks, just gotten out of the shower and scrubbing her hair dry with her towel. Tiffany turns around immediately and says "Uh uh! Just thinking that that poster is a little off! I just have to get used to it I guess! No worries!" "Gotcha..." A.J. says as she stares at the poster. "I'm gonna go shower-" Tiffany says before the phone starts ringing. "Don't worry I got it. Go shower" A.J. says. "Okay! Oh can you finish unpacking that last box for me? I trust you on where you'll put it!" Tiffany asks. "Really? I can do that then" "Thanks!"

After she finishes showering she finds A.J. in the bedroom applying her mascara, finishing her trademark looks. She looks at the dresser and sees that A.J. had put the photo frame of Tiffany and her family on it! "Is that your mom and pops?" A.J. asks. "Mhmm! And my older sister too!," Tiffany says proudly, "Hey I need to introduce you to them! Especially my dad! He'll love you! He loves anything and anyone that I lo-" she ALMOST SLIPPED, she realized, then brings up (to change the subject) "UM by the way, who was that on the phone?" "Oh that was Kenny! He wanted to talk to us about our jobs and see if we needed some help with it? Since the whole Summer counselor thing was a bust? He's already on his way. I just have to ask my old boss if I can start work two months early," A.J. explains before continuing "Didn't you tell me that you were a waitress before the Summer?" "I was! But I don't know..." Tiffany says. "Well if you need any help later just let me know, ok? I called my boss after getting off the phone with Kenny" A.J. says, sees the confused look on Tiffany's face, and further explains "You did take an hour in the shower. That gave me plenty of time to call him." Tiffany sheepishly laughs it off "Hot showers are wonderful." A.J. smiles at the honesty, and says "I'm going to motor over to Tower Records right now, I'll be back later" "Wait but what about breakfast?!" "I'll be back soon! Kenny's on his way anyways. I'll be back" A.J. reassures her by holding her hand, and reaching up to give Tiffany a kiss before heading out.

Tiffany walks A.J. out of the apartment door and watches her girlfriend head through the hallway and down the stairs. She leans on that door and spaces out for a while, before being snapped out of it as Kenny comes up the stairs and jogs when he sees her. "Kenny!" "Hey Tiffany!" Kenny returns the greeting as he holds up his right hand for a high five, Tiffany gladly taking the high five. "I just passed by A.J.! She's still not one for hugs, is she?" Kenny asks. Tiffany remembers the countless times A.J. has been super sweet to her and the large amount of hugs she gets, decides not to mention it and just smiles and shrugs. "I do need to talk to you, may I come in?" "Of course!" Tiffany says with excitement. She closes the door and motions him to sit on the sofa. He does, with her following suit.

"How are you doing?" Kenny starts off. "Hm? Oh, I'm totally fine! It's been nonstop, surprise enough, but I've never been happier! I get to move in with A.J.! I hope she feels the same way!" Tiffany says. "I'm sure she does! Was she the one who asked you to move in with her?" "Yeah?" "See? Then it's fine. Plus she looks a lot happier than she did when I first hired her for the Summer." Tiffany found herself giving a warm smile hearing that. 'Gosh she's so great' Tiffany thought to herself. "Honestly though Kenny, you're really starting to sound more like a high school counselor or something" she chuckles. 'He would've been great for that job though', she would also think. "Hey c'mon! I just care about you all! I am, and will always feel responsible for all of you!" he expressed. "Thank you for that. We are lucky to have both you and Jenny back then!" she pointed out. "Tiffany you are too sweet I don't deserve those words! But back to what I came here for," Kenny says, getting Tiffany's attention, "I'm going to start checking on everyone, to make sure they have been getting better, get back into what I would call, hmm, normal life?" Tiffany nods, showing that she's following so far. "And now that we, well you all, don't have jobs anymore, I was hoping to offer what I can do in any way to help get you one again. Get you back on your feet! From what A.J. told me, she's already covered! She's always on top of things when it concerns her!" "Isn't she great?!" Tiffany is just too proud of her girlfriend.

"But that now brings me to you," Kenny says, "You used to work as a waitress, right?" "Uh huh" she answers, but not totally focused. Besides the trauma (which she still distracts herself from as often as possible), another thing has been on her mind since that night, preoccupying her thoughts lately. But she wanted to fix that. She realized that _this_ could be her new start. A new chance to make herself better. And she wasn't going to half-ass it. "Kenny" she begins. "Yeah?" he perks up. He's never seen her serious before. "I want to do something else instead of being a waitress."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something else instead of being a waitress? That could prove to be fun! And we got to see Kenny again! We're starting to drive further and further away from Friday the 13th elements and into daily life, but maybe the two big heroes Tommy and Tina will make a visit at some point! I've never personally liked the Tommy tapes from The Game. It wasn't really fair to a guy who's been through so much. This writing is just a happy ending for everyone! And they've earned it! Next chapter will take place on the same day though. See you next week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"Alright I'll call you later!" A.J. shouts to her boss while exiting out of the glass door entrance. 'That was easier than I expected' she thought. She was able to completely win him over and can start over a month sooner than she had last told him. 'Though it does help that I'll knock the teeth out of a thief if they try any funny business.' She doesn't take into account that she's been working for them since she was 17, and always had shown up whenever she is scheduled. Nonetheless, she finds herself feeling even more exhilarated. Despite the "adult stuff" cramps her style when she has to deal with it, it does make her feel better. More accomplished. Maybe a part of her wanted to show off to Tiffany. Heading to her car, she puts a little more pep into her walk, even going so far as to skip! 'I get to go back to my little, well no not little if she's technically taller than me. But my bundle of energy!' she thinks to herself.

She gets to her car, unlocks the door and inserts her keys into the ignition to get it started. "I can't believe I left some of my cassettes at home. Oh well" She tells herself. She turns on the radio, then checks for incoming traffic before she starts driving. She muses with the thought 'I really should take Tiffany to the beach. It would be a good way to relax, and I'm sure she'd absolutely be all for it.' She takes in the nice scenery of LA and all of it's familiarity. It was nice to be home. Into a similar routine that she had lived with since the end of her high school days. But _now_ with the addition of Tiffany. She couldn't be happier. Although now that she thinks about it, it was paradise back at the camp. A seclusion of sorts. Away from the world. Now being home they are around many many people. People who like to get into other's lives that are "different" than their own. And some (many) people can be disgusted about that "lifestyle". Of her and Tiffany being together. She's not an idiot. She's seen it before in high school. Bullies. But it wasn't a problem back at camp, as everyone was surprisingly accepting about it. Well, almost everyone, excluding Chad and Victoria, but even then towards the remaining weeks they had warmed up to the idea of her and Tiffany dating. She was so lost in thought she wasn't even paying attention to the song that was playing on the radio, now paying attention as the next one started:

_Shake up the picture the lizard mixture_   
_With your dance on the eventide_

"Oh that's that New Moon by Duran Duran" A.J. says to herself. 'It's a pretty good song. I know I saw Tiffany's copy of it when combining our music. I should ask what her thoughts on them are' she further considers. She jams to the rest of the song and a couple more on the radio before she finally gets home.

She does so and notices that the apartment door is unlocked. She opens it and finds Tiffany sitting on the sofa watching TV, who immediately shuts it off so she can pounce her girlfriend. "A.J.!" she exclaims, jumping on her and giving her the kiss. If she wasn't so light A.J. would've fallen flat onto the floor! "Tiffany please make sure to lock the door next time" "Ah! Sorry! I must've forgotten when Kenny left!" "It's fine not a big deal," A.J. says, "What were you watching anyways?" "Hm? Oh nothing really. I was just flipping through channels. Nothing really going on today..." Tiffany ho-hummed.

"I've been meaning to ask you," A.J. started, catching her girlfriend's attention, "What is your favorite Duran Duran song? That one song 'New Moon on Monday' was playing on my way back from Tower, so it got me wondering." She found it pretty funny. A part of just NEEDED to know more about this girl. Not in a creepy way, at least she would hope not. She enjoyed listening to anything about Tiffany that Tiffany would bring up. Hearing that question though, Tiffany practically runs to their collection and pulls out a tan colored square sleeve from the shelf. A.J. is shown the cover in much delight, called "The Reflex", and then Tiffany unfolds a section and pulls out the all so familiar flat black circle and hands the sleeve to A.J., fidgeting with A.J.'s stereo system for a bit. "Oh this is a poster sleeve?" A.J. asked, plopping down onto the sofa and unfolding the rest of said poster. "YEAH! I just _had_ to buy it! Especially since it was a special limited edition! I love that song so much!" Tiffany said, pressing the Play button and letting the slow buildup of the song fill the room. She jams to it a bit, mouthing the lyrics, before diving onto the sofa to join A.J. "I actually got to see this song live back in March!" "Really?!" A.J. asks. "Yeah! Like, when I heard about there was going to be a tour I had to go, y'know?! But my boss was being a dick and wouldn't give me the days off I needed to go to a single concert! I mean yeah I had a week off on Christmas but it was all the way in England! So FINALLY he gave me a week off on the first week of March, so I flew to Toronto and was able to catch the March 5th concert!" Tiffany explained. It all sounded like a pain to go through to A.J., but Tiffany looked excited to share it, so she must've had a blast! Then a small detail caught A.J.'s attention. "Wait, Toronto, _Canada?_ " she asked in surprise. Tiffany was excited to see A.J. notice that small tidbit. "Yeah! It was all on a whim! Oh my gosh that concert was _so_ radical! Simon had such _moves_ , and his outfit was _so_ ace! And Nick looked _so_ good! There was a lot of energy, and I even saw people dancing! It was so much fun!" A.J. was pretty happy to hear Tiffany sharing a great moment in her life. "I really do like Duran Duran's music though. It makes me really happy" Tiffany admits, then pipes in while hugging A.J., "Oh but don't worry! None of them will _ever_ look as good as you!" A.J. chuckles "Thank you for that compliment." A.J. really did like that compliment. It relieved any anxieties she didn't even know she had.

A.J. folds the poster back up and sets it onto the table, reminding Tiffany of something. "Oh Kenny said he really likes our setup!" "Well that's good" "But... Is it okay for it to look like this? It isn't too much? Sometimes people like our parents would always find it 'childish'." A.J. was surprised to hear that from Tiffany, but then exclaimed "It's OUR apartment! Whatever we love, we should display proudly! I love this stuff. And I'm sure you do too." "Of course I do!" "See? Then it's fine. I mean Kenny liked it didn't he?" A.J. asked. "Kenny's like our mom. He'll like anything we like" Tiffany complained, causing the both to laugh. "So how was your talk with Kenny?"

This makes Tiffany pause for a moment. She looks down, really giving it some thought. 'This has to be important' A.J. thinks to herself, and puts her hand on Tiffany's. Tiffany in turn squeezes A.J.'s thumb. A.J. looks down onto the hand, and back up to Tiffany, who is now smiling softly at her. "I talked to Kenny, about what I wanted to do. Ever since," she shows a sign of fear, but then shakes herself out of it this time. She takes a deep breath and looks at A.J. before continuing, "That night I was useless. I couldn't do anything. It got me thinking. About myself. I didn't want to be like that anymore. I want to make myself better." A.J. wanted to butt in and say that Tiffany is not useless, but then better judgement kept her from interrupting. "So, I decided, that... That I wanna learn how to be a mechanic." A.J. looked for any signs that she Tiffany was kidding, but there were none. In fact, this is the most vulnerable and scared that A.J. had ever seen her, thinking 'She just poured her entire heart out to me over this. I obviously won't crush it by making some damn joke.' She then asks "And this is what you want to do, right?" "Yes, this is what I really want to do" Tiffany answers timidly. "Then be a mechanic. I will be here for you every step of the way." A.J. definitively. "Wait really?" her girlfriend asked in disbelief. "OF COURSE Tiffany!" A.J. assures. "You don't think it's stupid?" "Tiffany never. If you want to be a mechanic, and you're serious about it, then yes go for it." It may sound cheesy, but A.J. is a firm believer in that anything in life is possible. It was one of the few things that kept her hopeful in life until finding more reasons recently. But Tiffany wasn't keeping that feeling lately. And she wanted to instill that feeling to her girlfriend again. She wanted to be her rock, and make what ever hopes into reality.

Tiffany was absolutely relieved to hear all of that, and dived into a hug again, this time A.J. ready to take it in immediately. "A.J.! You have no idea how much this means to me! Thank you!" "You're welcome. I know you can do this. You make me really happy, and I want you to be happy" she admitted, though she didn't expect herself to. This only causes Tiffany to hug her even tighter. 'This girl is absolutely influencing my behaviors' A.J. thought, and she was completely okay with that. A realization had hit her. "So we didn't really have breakfast, did we?" "WE DIDN'T!" Tiffany also remembered. "Wanna get lunch then?" A.J. asked. "Yes let's!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I got to indulge in my Duran Duran obsession a bit! Now the idea of Tiffany being a mechanic may seem a bit weird, considering that Tiffany is a more on the glamorous end, but after going through that night, which could be very traumatic, might be a good redemption for her. Also playing Friday the 13th: The Game and being able to repair stuff as Tiffany despite her bad stat is always a rewarding feeling. She deserves to make herself better. Next week we'll get to see the bestie! Take care!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

It had been about a week and a half since Tiffany had expressed her new goal in life. A.J. still had about four days until she started working again, so unless Tiffany was looking for workshops around the area, they would either hang at the apartment or enjoy the most happen'en city. When Kenny had last came over, she asked about Debbie (Deborah!). One, (it may be a slim chance, 'cause nobody reads them, but) Debbie may have books related to car repair. She could study while looking for that job! Two, the more obvious reason, is to see if she's okay! She and Debbie had became pretty close friends during the Summer! And she needed to know if Debbie was getting any better! Kenny had told her that she was still healing (at the time), but would be okay enough to finally fly back to L.A. soon (which was yesterday!). She called the Kim household, and everything was squared away! So TODAY she is going to visit Debbie! She asked A.J. if she wanted to come, but A.J. had told her that it was best that the two of them should catch up without her, but she at least let her borrow the mazda!

Going to Debbie's house wasn't that far. Mid City to Rowland Heights was a bit over half an hour? It gave her plenty of time to jam to some sick tunes! "Self Control", "Dancing in the Dark", and "What's Love Got To Do With It" were great to listen to! A.J. usually would prefer to listen to music she puts on herself when driving, but Tiffany loves all the big hits, so the radio keeping her on her toes was always a treat (though she has noticed A.J. being more receptive to radio listening lately). "Sorry Tina Turner but _I_ need a heart!" she says to herself listening to the last song. She may sound old fashioned, but she needs love! 'It's important!' she thinks to herself. She then starts to think about A.J. again and starts blushing, before she shakes it off. 'I am thinking about A.J. WAY too much! Hahaha' she laughs off.

She drives into the street of where Deborah's house is and slows down, scouting the neighborhood left and right until she finally spots akin to what Debbie described: A white, two story house. 'It's cute!' she thought. The day being sunny really added to it's charm. She parks, gets out, and almost skips from excitement towards the house. She uses the steps to get on the porch to the front door. She rings the doorbell, and starts swaying left and right before someone finally answers! The door opens and reveals an older woman wearing glasses. Tiffany was silly enough to have thought Debbie had gotten quite a bit older since the hospital, then realizing that this could be Debbie's mom. 'C'mon Tiffany. You aren't _that_ dumb...' she criticizes herself. "Hi! Um, by any chance is Deborah home?" she asked. But the older woman gave an annoyed look and responded with "She is NOT going!" "Wait wait wait I don't want to take her out anywhere! I just wanted to visit her to see if she's okay!" Tiffany pleaded. She kind-of expected something like this to happen, with Deborah being one of the few former counselors still living with their parents (though there wasn't anything wrong with that). Plus with the addition to that wound on her back it wasn't the best recipe for a parent. The mom(?) then begrudgingly opens the door all the way and motions Tiffany to come inside.

She changes her demeanor back to happy-go-lucky as soon as she steps inside. The interior was pretty normal compared to any other household. "She is upstairs first door on the left when you turn left" the presumably mother informs. "Okay cool thanks!" Tiffany says as she jogs up the stairs. She bursts the door open, sees Deborah sitting up on her bed and reading a book. She's about to dive-bomb into a hug, shouting "Debbie!" before Deborah pulls her hand out in a 'stop' gesture and sternly says "FREEZE." Tiffany, maybe due to her practice of playing "Red Light Green Light" so many times as a child, completely stops in her tracks. "Now you know full well that I am still healing. You could've seriously injured me. Is that what you want?" Deborah lectures. Still frozen in her spot, Tiffany mutters "No... I'm sorry..." She can see where Debbie gets her strictness from. But Deborah smiles and says "It's okay. Now come here and GENTLY give me a hug, if you'd still like to give me one." "Yeah!" Tiffany responded, jogging up to her, but then softly hugging her. "Can you close the door? I don't need my mom to barge into our conversations" "Sure thing!" and Tiffany closes the door. She grab's Deborah's chair from her desk and uses it to sit close to her.

"Are you doing okay?! Does it hurt?!" Tiffany starts off. Deborah was taken aback by the sudden concern, but regains her composure and responds "I am fine. It still hurts, more sore than hurts, but it fluctuates. My mom helps me change my bandage." "Wait you didn't tell her about-" "Oh _no_ of course not! If she found out what really happened not only would I never hear the end of it from her, I'd never be able to even have my own life ever again! Not to mention that no one would believe us anyways. All she knows is that we had an accident and we closed the camp, suspending renovations until further notice" Deborah explained. Tiffany nods, feeling satisfied with what all Deborah said. "So what have you been up to the past two? Three weeks while healing? You came back yesterday, right?" she asked. "Hm yeah I did. The Wessex County Medical Center was uneventful but Jenny kept me company from time to time. She was able to get my stuff from the camp too, which was really nice of her. But Vanessa had been catching her in deep thought lately. She said she figured it out what Jenny was concerned about by the expression Jenny was giving off, but wouldn't tell me hahaha" Deborah laughs. "Ooooh Vanessa always does that! How does she do it?!" Tiffany asks. " I have no idea. But said that we'll know in due time if her hunch is right. Adam, despite his legs, would visit me too! He'll stroll in using his wheelchair." Deborah doesn't notice, giving that she is tilting her head looking at the ceiling while recounting, but Tiffany just noticed a very important observation when she said that. "My parents freaked out when I came home though. But it's all fine now I suppose? I've mostly been reading more or less. That's pretty much it. How have you bee-" Deborah says before Tiffany interrupts, with a glint in her eye.

"Now hold on, there's something we haven't talked about yet!" Deborah is curious to what Tiffany is referring to, then regrets it as Tiffany gives a sly smirk. "So, _Adam_ , huh?" "Tiffany don't start." "LOOK he's obviously into you! He checked up on you pretty often DESPITE his injuries being worse than your's!" "Tiffany I don't know about this. I'm just a nerd. What would anyone see in someone like me? Let's just move on-" Deborah trying to change the subject, before Tiffany interjects "NO we will NOT move on! You need to drop that 'nerd' schtick! We're not in high school anymore! You're a great person, Debbie! Please believe me when I say that! How do you feel about Adam?" Deborah is still a bit anxious from this conversation, but answers "He's really nice to me. He's always been. He'll always try to tell a joke to me, even during Kenny and Jenny's meetings with the rest of us. Granted they were awful, but they were so awful that I couldn't help but laugh. He always wanted me to. I guess maybe I do like him a little bit." "That's great! Oh I'm so happy for you! I'm sure the both of you will work out great!" Tiffany encourages. "My parents aren't going to like him though" Deborah laughs off the thought. "Are your parents going to date him? I don't think so!" Tiffany felt pretty clever saying that. "I don't know, we'll see. _After_ I heal. Oh! I've been wondering something for a while now. That night. When he started going after you. What ha-" While Deborah began to delve into that new topic, dread starts to cover Tiffany's face. Tiffany didn't want to re-live that night in any way possible. She immediately changed the subject as best as she could.

"SO UM what books have you been reading?" She didn't think Debbie believed a single part of that question, but was happy enough that she can clearly read the atmosphere, and decided to not pursue the previous subject further. "Nothing much. How have you and A.J. been?" Deborah asked. This instantly made Tiffany light up. "She and I moved in together! Ahhh I'm so happy! She absolutely means the whole world to me, Debbie! She's even so sw-" Tiffany shuts her own mouth and remembers something. 'Wait, I don't think A.J. would want anyone to know how she is around me! It'd be bad for her image! Or at the very least she wouldn't want them in our business...' she thinks to herself. "Anyways," she continues, "She's the best person ever! I even almost slipped the other day that I loved her to her, but..." Deborah was confused by what she said. "Wait, you LOVE her?" "Yes! I love her. I really really do." Tiffany tells her. She absolutely means that from the bottom of her heart. "And you haven't told her yet because...?" "Because I don't want her to think that I'm weak! I already feel useless. She saved me that night. That's why I also needed to see you! So, I've decided on what to be!" "What to be?" Deborah asked. "Yeah! A car mechanic! I wanna make myself better! So I wanted to tackle something that I was terrible at! So I'll need to borrow any books that talk about stuff like that, if you have some?" Tiffany explained.

"That's great, Tiffany. In fact I'm happy that you have something that you want to do now, but we're getting a bit off topic. At least for me. Now, I may not know much about dating, seeing as I never had a boyfriend, but if you love someone you need to tell them. You can't just do it whenever it's convenient for you. Expressing feelings is important, is it not? Don't worry about looking 'weak'. I'm sure she cares about you a lot, judging by how even during the camp renovations, she mostly smiled when it involved you. Believe me she's not good at hiding it as she think she is. Please tell her, she's probably waiting to hear that from you." 'I had never even considered something like that' Tiffany thought to herself.

"Now, about these car repair books that you need. You're in luck. My dad actually attempted to look into them a couple of years back, but with him being a doctor there was just never enough time for him to learn. So you can have them. They're in the garage if you wanna get them later." Deborah offered. "Radical! Thank you Debbie!" Tiffany said as she almost dived into a hug, but remembered and then slowly gave Deborah a soft one. "By the way, 'Dancing in the Dark' was playing on my way over here!" Tiffany started. "Oh lord don't even." "Even! Bruce Springsteen was singing it!" "Tiffany I called him cute ONCE. Let it go." "Never" Tiffany declared. It's always nice to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I _may_ have threw in two references to Part 3 of the series. It's a pretty fun movie! But we got to see Deborah! If you're still reading this story, thank you so much. As long as someone is enjoying it, that's great! I'm having fun writing them! Stay safe, okay?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"Total is going to be $9.95" A.J. halfheartedly states to her customer, ringing him up for an album. Well, not entirely halfheartedly. She loves music. She grew up on it. It was her escape countless times in her life. But coming back to work now just feels like returning to school after a Summer vacation. Especially after meeting AND starting to date Tiffany. Music might soften the blow of this drag? Maybe she just never liked talking to strangers. "Hey A.J.!" Or coworkers. 'God why must Todd never give me peace?' she thinks to herself. "Did I ever tell you that my parents named me after Todd Rundgren?" he tells her. She stares at him incredulously. "Todd that is absolutely _impossible_. You were born in '59. He didn't officially start his music career publicly until 1966. Stop spouting nonsense" she tells him. 'He clearly looks older than whatever he's letting on about.' With wearing all denim clothing, dark brown hair going beyond the shoulders, and a mustache that goes past the mouth, people would think he's in his 30's. And six years behind fashion.

"By the way have you-" "No Todd I haven't checked out that band 'Rush'" she interrupts him. "Aw how did you know I was going to ask about that?" he looked both hurt by the immediate rejection and touched by reading his mind. "Because Todd, you always ask me that. Every week. Maybe even more. I'm kinda glad I got a break from all this for three months." "Ouch, cold as always. They're so _good_ , A.J. You just _gotta_ check them out!" Todd insists. "Gag me with a spoon, Todd," she says, sees his shocked reaction, then sighs "I guess I could someday..." It looked like Todd was about to say yet another 'clever' remark, but was stopped by their boss's yelling in the background "Ya done bothering A.J.?! Now quit yer needless chatter and get back TO WORK!" Todd flinches at the last part. "What's he mad about? Has he been like that all Summer?" A.J. asks. "Naw he's just bitter about not getting his request to transfer to the Sunset Boulevard location approved again." Todd tells her. "A bummer." "Very" they both comment to each other, then the boss shouts again "Todd I will bust some ass!" Feeling suddenly annoyed at both Todd and her boss in the background, she motions Todd to take over the cash register while she takes his job of putting away the many vinyl.

She picks up one of the record boxes from behind the counter and hastily gets away, knowing that if she lingers around any longer she'll yell at Todd. From the way her boss was on his ass, it seemed like Todd had really gotten on his nerves without her the past three months. She restocks copies of "Purple Rain" and just casually goes back and fourth between the back room and the store, stocking, restocking, and reorganizing everything (seemed they slacked without her, or depended on her too much the past four years). She at one point laughs to herself by thinking 'Jenny has basically nerves of steel. She probably has the patience to deal with them more than I would.' It was then time for her to go home. The store doesn't close until midnight, but her shifts normally end at 8. She starts to head towards the front door until Todd stops her.

"Hey you're not gonna hang out and smoke on the roof? The good ol' couch has been missing you!" he asks. "No I'm gonna motor home-" "To listen to music? C'mon you can do that here!" Todd tries to convince her. "No not to listen to music. Though if that happens then that happens" she comments. "Wait... Are you dating someone?" he considers. This infuriates her, 'how can someone that dense guess something that precise?' "I'm LEAVING Todd" she says and exits the glass door. She takes a deep breath and walks to her car. 'Tomorrow will be a better day' she thinks to herself. She gets in the car, turns it on, and cruises home. She arrives at her complex, climbs up the three flights of stairs, and unlocks her front door. She finds Tiffany sitting at the dining table, reading one of the books that Deborah gave her. 'She's been trying pretty hard to learn since she got them' A.J. thought. She's a bit impressed at how devoted Tiffany is on studying. She's so determined that she didn't even notice A.J. until A.J. had decided to check on her.

"How're you doing, sweetie?" Tiffany looks surprised before immediately switching to excitement. She didn't even need to say anything before she does her normal, ritual? Running up to her and giving a quick kiss. "How was your first day back to work?!" Tiffany asks her. "Hmmm, it was" she starts, looks at Tiffany, then continues "Not great." Tiffany promptly gives her a great big hug and ruffles her hair a bit to make her feel better. Which it does, but she would rather not admit it out loud, instead saying "Heeey now I'm not a dog. And I'm supposed to be rooting YOU on, remember?" Her girlfriend ponders on that for a moment, then answers "Nope!" and jumps into another hug! "You're too good to me." Tiffany only giggles at that compliment. It then seemed like Tiffany wanted to tell her something, but then shies away? She then takes A.J.'s hand and says "C'mon tell me some stuff about today!" "Wait I don't wanna distract you from your studies!" "It's fine, I need a little break!" she reassures her, and they sit on their sofa.

A.J. was still concerned about Tiffany's studying, but decided to indulge her about her day. "Okay so get this. You know Judas Priest, right?" Tiffany glances to her left to a poster and turns back asking "Them right?" "Yeah them! So at work someone told me that apparently on June 18th while we were getting stuff set up at the camp, Judas Priest had a concert at Madison Square Garden! And at one point fans started ripping out the cushions from their seats and threw them onto the stage! Ughhhh I should've GONE! I'm so mad at myself. It was only a two, three hour drive" she vented. "A.J. it's fine! You can go next time!" "Not there. Apparently they're also banned from that place for life." "REALLY?" "Yeah!" A.J. realized she was getting too worked up about it, laughing "Wow sorry about that. That was one of the few things that would not leave my mind all day." "NO no it's okay! What else have you been thinking about?" Tiffany asks. Then a small thought that was just a passing one earlier today came back. It only occurred from Todd's whining, but it started to bother her. But before she could bring it up Tiffany exclaimed "Oh wait, I have to go shower real quick! Is that okay?" A.J. smiles and says "Yes, go shower. I'll be here." "Okay!" Tiffany says, giving A.J. a kiss on the cheek before running off.

A.J. heads to the fridge and grabs her good ol' Dr Pepper before returning to the sofa. She takes a sip, and tilts her head back. She normally would listen to her music after work, but it was also nice to just take in the silence, remembering what it was like to do this before the Summer began. In the distance she hears the hum of the bathtub spout before the softer noise of the shower head starts. Reminded of what she's noticed Tiffany doing since they moved in together, she looks at her Sammi Curr poster. It was one of her favorites. She takes another sip, gets up and walks to the dining table to set her can down. She heads back to the sofa and drags the lower table to the wall of posters (from her previous experiences of setting up posters, she knows she's not the tallest person for the job). She gets on said table and pulls off the thumbtacks keeping the poster up, catching it before it falls on the ground. She stares at it in her hands, then chuckles 'A.J. you're such a softie for this girl.' She rolls up the poster and ties it up using a hair tie from her wrist. She hops off the table, stashes away the poster in the closet (next to the bathroom door), and heads to their music collection. She scans through the vinyl real quick and pulls out Tiffany's "Special Limited Edition Poster Sleeve" of Duran Duran's "The Reflex". She unfolds it, takes the record and slides it in a spare blank sleeve before sliding that where the poster sleeve was. She takes the new poster and gets on the lower table again, tacking it where the previous poster was. She hops off once again and drags the table to the front of the sofa. "There" she says to herself. She grabs her soda from the dining table and lounges back on the sofa. 

It doesn't take long until Tiffany is out of the bathroom, fully refreshed. "A.J.!" "You didn't take as long this time" A.J. teased. "I mostly stayed inside all day, didn't really get out much. Plus I wanted to hear what was on your mind!" Tiffany says as she walks towards the living room, jumping over the back end of the sofa to join A.J. Oh, that. "I guess I did say I would tell you. Alright, so, I've been wondering, Tiffany, am I cold?" she asks her. "Cold? You're warm and cuddly!" Tiffany jokes. "No, you know what I mean." "Sorry sorry. Hmmm, I wouldn't say 'cold', just that you have barriers up to protect yourself. I don't see anything wrong with that. It's not like you're an asshole. Although it makes me really really happy that you, bring down those walls for me" Tiffany explained. That made A.J. feel better, reciprocating, "It makes me happy too. Thank you." "You're wel-" her girlfriend starts, then notices her Duran Duran poster on the wall! "Wait WHAT? A.J.! Did you-" "You're guys are very pretty" she tries to downplay, but obviously won't do for Tiffany. "But what about your Sammi Curr one?! You loved that one!" "It's fine. I've been thinking of changing the place up anyways." All Tiffany could do is hug her as tightly as she could.

Tiffany pulls them apart and says "Seriously, thank you!" She fidgets for a second, then follows with an "A.J.?" "Yeah?" A.J. asks. "I love you." "I love you too" A.J. finds herself blurting out, but only because it felt so natural to her. "Really?!" Tiffany seemed like she was in shock. "Yes, I do." "Ahhh A.J.!" and gives her ANOTHER big hug! She's feeling way too spoiled right now. "I thought I would look weak if I said it! And thought you would think I was moving our relationship too fast!" "Tiffany why would you think that?! You've never looked weak to me! And too fast doesn't make ANY sense. I mean we had sex at the camp one night after all-" " _A.J.!_ " Tiffany shouted, both blushing and surprised that A.J. brought that up. "Am I wrong?!" A.J. asks. "Well, no, but, oh gosh you must think I'm dumb." "Tiffany I don't think that. To be honest, I only kinda never said it because I didn't want to be too pushy, especially since I asked you to move in with me." "A.J. I told you you're not pushy! You don't have to feel bad about that! I was happy to move in! Because I LOVE you!" "I love you" A.J. reciprocated. She is absolutely loving saying that finally.

"That was the most absurd argument I've ever had" A.J. commented. "Was it an argument? Us supporting one another was radical!" Tiffany just looks so happy, and A.J. couldn't help but feel warm about that. "You need to go study, silly." "Aww but, can we wait until after we eat? Let's order a pizza!" her girlfriend suggests. "Yeah we can do that. I mean you just showered anyways so I don't really want us to go outside again" A.J. says. "Wanna see what's on TV?" Tiffany asks. "Sure." A.J. responds. "A.J.?" "I love you" A.J. says, stupidly happy she doesn't have to hide it anymore. Tiffany, pleasantly surprised this time, probably because she was going to say that first, also says "I love you!" Tomorrow will definitely be a better day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! So you may have noticed that I keep tagging characters, but they aren't here yet! Where are they?! Well I'm tagging them in, in the order they've either shown up or have been mentioned. They will show up at some point! It was interesting to see A.J.'s first day back at work though! Maybe she'll get more accustomed to it again after a few weeks. She's such a sweetie for Tiffany! See y'all next week!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

She's frustrated. Tiffany is frustrated. She has been studying, sure, and it is all thanks to Debbie's books. But she needs physical learning. Hands-on stuff. She needs to find a job. Or maybe she just needs to find someone to hire her so she can learn from under them? But they wouldn't hire her if she doesn't know how to fix stuff! She's in a helpless circle. She doesn't even know anybody that will teach her! Well, MAYBE Adam, but he's still healing all the way back in, that place. And she is not going back to that place. She can't. But she's tried other workshops already and they've all said the same thing: "No you'll need to know how to fix them" or "No we don't teach while you're hired." She could ask A.J. if she can practice on the mazda, but that car is practically still new. She'd feel HORRIBLE if she broke it.

It was after 10:30 in the morning, only knowing because she was watching reruns of "Alvin and the Chipmunks"! She wanted to relax herself a bit before tackling the day again, but instead looked for addresses, leaving the show running in the background. She had been circling places to check out on the phone book. She originally used a newspaper, but ran out of places rather quickly. But just when she is too focused on finding the workshop addresses, bam! A hug from behind! Only her girlfriend, the stealthiest of the bunch, would be able to do that (though Tiffany would like to think of herself as the second stealthiest). "You almost ready to go?" A.J. asks. "Yeah I'm ready!" Tiffany answers. A.J had to go to work today, but because Tiffany needs to use the car for searching, she was going to drop off her girlfriend at Tower before heading to the other addresses. They lock up the apartment before heading out.

As they are driving, they jam to some tunes on the radio, which makes Tiffany really happy! She giggles to herself 'I'm happy A.J. is checking out the big hits more.' "What's so funny?" A.J. asks, not oblivious to Tiffany's reactions. Tiffany only smiles with a "Nothing!" They stop in front of the record store, with Tiffany sharing "Have fun today!" A.J. dryly laughs "Haha, I'll try. Hey, can you PLEASE make sure to be here by 7? I would like to be away from here and Todd as soon as possible." "Of course! You can count on me!" Tiffany gesturing to herself with her thumb. A.J. giving her a smile, says "Thanks, I'll see you later!" and give each other a quick kiss before A.J. heads outside, shouting "I love you!" and Tiffany shouting back the same thing, and then walking through the glass door. 'I don't know who this Todd is, but she must be annoyed by him a lot' Tiffany thought.

So on she goes to the destination points. The repair workshops that will hopefully hire her. But it seemed like her luck didn't improve from the other times. Time after time again she was given the same answers. 'Am I approaching them the wrong way?' she asks herself. She couldn't even enjoy the radio, with a song called "Ghostbusters" playing quite often. Apparently it made number one on _Billboard_ Hot 100 today! It was a catchy song, but she was too annoyed with her situation, so she kept the radio off. Although maybe she and A.J. could check out the movie that plays that song soon. 'No I'm getting off track!' she scolds herself.

At around 5 in the evening she drives up to the last address she's circled for the day. It wasn't the highest end of buildings, but it wasn't awful, and that's the important thing. It was a small building, two garage doors leading into one beige building, a sign above them saying "Harv's Auto Repair"and a smaller building connected to it, named "Office". On a longer observation she sees that one of the large steel doors was rolled up, and a car inside being worked on! She crosses her fingers, shuts her eyes real quick and prays that this is her shot, then parks the mazda on the driveway. She gets out, flinches at the Summer heat, and continues her way to the main building.

"Um, excuse me?" she raises her voice when she makes it to the open door. "What is it?" a disgruntled voice answers back at her, the voice originating from a height a lot lower than she was expecting. She looks down and sees someone's legs, the rest of that someone underneath the car. 'He must be replacing the fuel pump!' she thought. "Let me guess," he starts, unphased by her presence, "You're here to get your car's air conditioner fixed?" "No?" she responds confused. "Then you're here to get your window fixed?" he asks. "Um, no?" she responds again. "Then you're here because you can't get your precious cold air? So you've got a coolant leak?" "What? No! I don't have a freaking anti-freeze leak from a hole in my radiator!" It may have been her imagination, but it seemed like he paused for a second when she said that, then uses the creeper seat he's laying his back on to slide out from underneath the car. He gets up and this is where she gets a better look at him: a body type between LaChappa and Shelly? He was a bald man nearing his 50's, If he hasn't already reached that age. He's wearing a gray jumpsuit with an embroidered white oval, inside was stitched the name "Harvey" in cursive. A lighter skin tone than hers, but his face wasn't welcoming. He looked annoyed, furrowed eyebrows mixed with his frown did not help.

He looks behind her as he wipes his hands with a rag and comments "Your car doesn't look broken at all. In fact it looks new. Why're you here?" "I'm HERE to ask if you'll hire me!" Tiffany explained. He looks at her, gives an even _more_ annoyed look, and says "Go home kid. I'm not here for pranks." "This is not a prank!" "Oh really? Then you're here to impress your boyfriend. You probably told him that you can fix a car, he didn't believe you, you both got into a fight, then you came here to prove him wrong" he believed. "Excuse me, for your information I do not, nor will I not, ever have a boyfriend" she told him. "I don't care. Either way if you don't have a car, truck, or motorcycle that needs fixing, then GET LOST" he yells at the end.

At this point now Tiffany starts getting upset. "Why won't you hire me?!" she asks. "Why? Look at you!," he says, gesturing at her entire self, "No business, let alone customer, would ever take you seriously! Nor would you ever take this seriously!" "You know that how I look shouldn't ever matter in how I work! I would absolutely take my job seriously! I was a waitress for three years in a row!" "N, O, NO" he tells her, sits and lays back onto the creeper, and rolls himself back underneath the chassis of the car. "I'm not leaving" she declares, notices the stool by a table, and pulls it close to him and sits on it, arms crossed.

About an hour passes and it has been nothing but silence between them. The only noise that was made was the old man's workings on the vehicle. She looks to her left and notices the time on the clock, 'Crap it's 6:10 already? I need to pick up A.J., but I can't admit defeat...' She looks at him, at the clock, then at him again while becoming antsy. She jolts from the stool, knocking it down, and in a firm tone states "I did NOT lose, I have to pick up someone very important to me at 7. I will be BACK tomorrow!" "Tomorrow's Sunday. I'm closed." "Then I'm coming back on MONDAY!" she storms off, but kindness getting the better of her, storms back to lift the stool up to it's proper place, and storms off again. She gets in her car and drives off.

Tiffany makes it to the front of Tower Records with just literal seconds to spare, as she sees her beloved girlfriend making her way out of what seems like a busy moment at the store. A.J. escapes through the front door, opens the passenger side of the mazda, and slumps on the seat after closing the door. "Drive, please drive" she utters to Tiffany. Tiffany wastes no time to drive away. She tries to look over to A.J. while keeping her eyes on the road and worriedly asks "Are you okay? It looked like it was getting busy in there." "Well we all ended up kind-of arguing earlier today, like quite a bit. So I _would've_ stayed to help, but no they're getting none of that from me today" A.J. explained. 'Wouldn't she get in trouble for arguing with them so much? Or like not help? DOES she ever get in trouble?' Tiffany thinks to herself, then considers that maybe A.J. must be close to them in some sort of fashion. "Hey, how long have you worked there? You seem close to them." "CLOSE? No absolutely not. No way. Although, I have worked there for four years?" A.J. explains, with her left hand over her face.

Tiffany uses her right hand to reach for the radio, finally deciding to turn it on, but A.J. pushes it away after noticing it through the fingers of her hand. "No don't. I want to enjoy the quiet for a bit longer" she says. Tiffany doesn't have a problem with that, considering that she left it off practically the whole day herself. They get to a red light and she steps on the brakes. Using it as her chance, Tiffany leans down and softly brushes A.J.'s hand away with her own, then kisses her. A.J., despite blushing for a split second, but being as observant as always (and caring), asks "Hey what's wrong?"

Before Tiffany could answer, she notices a green hue off the corner of her eye, the traffic light signaling her to go. She wastes no time in getting back to driving mode and heading forwards, as she doesn't want to be one of _those people_. She does answer her girlfriend's question. "They all turned me down. Well, the last place I went to, the owner kinda pissed me off hahaha. Although I was probably already mad from the previous rejections all day. I told him that I wouldn't leave, but I kinda had to, to pick you up. I'll be back on Monday." "You'll be BACK?" A.J. asks. "Yeah! I'm not gonna let him assume what I can and can't do! I gotta prove myself!" Tiffany says. She's feeling fired up, something she hasn't felt in quite a long time. "Oh you gotta tell me more about what happened. But let's go pick up something to eat first." A.J. suggests. Tiffany, now realizing she hasn't eaten all day, is more than happy to agree with that recommendation. "Yeah of course! And totally! I'm starving!" Maybe she can even bring up that "Ghostbusters" movie to her love-bug after they eat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't looking too good for Tiffany, but she won't give up though! Now if you're a Ft13th fan, you're probably saying "Wait a minute, if this coincides with the movie series, how can Shelly still be alive?!" Well, stay tuned. We're gonna have to do a small smidgen of retconing to the third movie of the franchise. A.J. did not have a good day, which is making it harder to get used to work again, but she'll hang in there. Oh and a surprise is in store for y'all next week! Stay safe!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

A.J. squeezes her eyelids shut to hopefully get rid of the drowsiness, then slowly opens them. It's another morning. She almost closes her eyes to go back to sleep, but the better part of her reminds herself that she shouldn't do that. So she lazily sits up. She was never good at jumping straight out of bed, even as a child. She now sways back and fourth, trying to collect her thoughts, though something catches her attention again for another day in a row. She looks to her right and sees that Tiffany is still asleep. Now, normally Tiffany would be the first one to get up. A.J. wasn't too sure of it at first, since Tiffany would seem to be getting up at the same time as she was. But every once in a while she would vaguely remember, for less than a minute in the early mornings, barely opening her eyes due to Tiffany's shuffling. But not recently; Tiffany has been the one to sleep in. Maybe it was due to all that studying? Deborah gave her a lot of books. It was all her girlfriend could do, though. Study. Well, the past two days were also different. Now she's trying to convince some old mechanic to hire her? 'Tiffany will always be full of surprises' felt like A.J.'s slogan of the year. And then almost falling right back to sleep! 'Shit, I need to get up _now_.' It's not fair to her, what with a certain tall girl sleeping soundly. Tiffany's breathing makes her go right to sleep. It lets her know that Tiffany is right there, that she's not alone. And BAM, almost fell asleep _again!_ 'I can't keep drifting back and fourth like this,' so she decides to lightly shake Tiffany's shoulder. If Tiffany is awake, then surely A.J. will somehow get out of bed!

"Hey, sweetie, wake up" A.J. says. Tiffany gradually opens her eyes and blinks a couple of times, before smiling and exclaiming "A.J.!" Tiffany wraps her arms around A.J.'s neck, opposite of what A.J. wanted, 'Crap I didn't mean _this!_ ', and is pulled back down onto the bed! She's smothered with kisses, with her gasping "Tiffany no I have morning breath!" "You're fine! Unless you want me to say good morning to your breath for whatever reason? Either way, good morning A.J.!" Tiffany greeted. A.J. gives up and gives a giggled return "Good morning, Tiffany."

After that they go about their normal morning routines, A.J. taking a shower first, then Tiffany's turn next. It would always take Tiffany a dastardly long time in the shower, which does give A.J. enough time to blow dry her hair, put on, as Tiffany deems, "trademark looks", and make quick breakfast for them both. Unless their time is a bit shorter than usual, in which case they'll motor through McDonald's and grab some food (thanks to Tiffany's driving, A.J. was able to get hotcakes instead of the McMuffin and wolf 'em down before going in to Tower). She gets dropped off, deals with people she doesn't know, plus two obnoxious coworkers, and gets picked up later in the evening. Then they head home under the city lights.

Tiffany runs to shower as soon as they open the apartment door 'I guess that auto shop she's sitting in doesn't have air conditioning' A.J. thought. As soon as she hears the hum of the water starting from the bathtub, she gets startled by six fast-paced knocks on the front door. 'Who the hell is at their apartment on a Tuesday? I swear if it's Kenny he is going to get a good talking to' she thinks as she walks to the entrance. Though a part of her is feeling dread, as if she knows she's heard that type of knocking before. She looks through the peephole and couldn't believe her eyes. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she curses under her breath, and even considers not opening the door. Just pretend that no one is home, right? If only. She sighs, then opens the door.

On the other side, much to A.J.'s dismay, was the blonde princess of catty, Victoria Sterling, donning her most iconic deep blue pantsuit and pearl necklace. Tapping her foot impatiently, Victoria was a smidgen surprised by the door's opening, then back to what A.J. could presume returned to that annoyed look. "Where have you BEEN? I've been waiting for like ever!" Victoria complained. "What do you mean where have we been?! I have WORK, and Tiffany is busy trying to get a job!" A.J. explained. "Well I showed up around noon and there was no one! I had to pass the time by _shopping_. I shouldn't have to pass the time by doing something I love! Because then it feels like a chore! Even then I had to go back to my car afterwards and jam to music on the radio! It was just now that I saw you two drive up and go up the stairs then I could show up again" Victoria whined. "Victoria those all sound like good ways to spend a day. And where would you even know where to wait anyways? Who told you where we lived?" A.J. has every reason to be confused. "Kenny told me. He was more than happy to share" Victoria answered. 'Oh Kenny is _definitely_ going to get a good talking to!' A.J. thought."

"Are you going to invite me in, or...?" Victoria wonders. A.J. wasn't too sure herself. She was hoping to have a nice, relaxing night with her girlfriend. She straightens up and crosses her arms, asking "Should I?" Instead of a retort though, Victoria dropped her high-and-mighty demeanor and tiredly asked "Please?" Taken aback by an earnest request, A.J. motions her to come inside. Victoria scans the room as she makes her way to the sofa and sits down. "Nice set-up for the place" she says. A.J. wasn't too sure if she was being serious or not, but decides to indulge in her own happiness for a bit, "Yeah I originally had posters of just my group strung up on the walls, but when Tiffany moved in we decided to mix posters of both of our favorite groups together. The stereo system and some of the furniture are mine, the TV and bed are her's." "You two tied the knot pretty fast, huh?" Victoria commented. "I mean, after what happened, I was really worried about her. It was probably traumatizing for her" A.J. explained. "And, because you love her, right?" Victoria asked, curiosity piquing. Taken aback _again_ , A.J. truthfully answers "Yes, because I love her. I couldn't see myself without her." Victoria merely looks away as she nods. 'This isn't like Victoria, she'd jump at the chance to scoff about love' A.J. thought. "Although," Victoria pipes in, "Wouldn't you asking her to move in was because you were afraid of losing her?" A.J. immediately freezes when hearing that, precise guess. She was about to ask Victoria to leave right then and there, but the bathroom door bursts open and a blur of a specific girl and her towel runs to their bedroom. 'That girl is so inconsistent at how long she'll shower' A.J. chuckles. One look at her girlfriend changed her whole mood, deciding to drop the imaginary potential threat.

"Is she doing okay?" Victoria asked. Now somewhat convinced that Victoria is not here to ridicule them, she answers "Yeah, she's trying her best. And she seems happy. That's all I could ask for. Though you can ask her yourself. She'd be happy to see you. She's happy to see anyone. She loves all of you from the camp." "And you? How do you feel about everyone from camp?" Victoria further questions. A.J. wasn't sure. Someone with this kind of magnitude asking her that kind of question. It gave her anxiety. It reminded her that she has never liked the "popular" people. How they treated her. Then that certain lovely girl snapped her out of her trance.

"Hey sorry I'm late! I overheard you talking to someo-Victoria?!" Tiffany said in shock towards the end, this time being her turn to be surprised. "Hello Tiffany. You seem to be as fashionable as always" Victoria greeted. "You like this?! It's one of my favorite tops!" Tiffany said, showing off the green version of the one that she normally wears. A.J. doesn't like this kind of conversation. Not one bit. She's feeling more and more uneasy. "Have you complimented A.J. though? She always looks good! And is always matching!" Tiffany tells Victoria, bringing A.J. into the conversation. "Well she certainly has-" Victoria starts but is cut off by A.J. "Victoria why are you here?" She didn't want to hear any bad remarks about her from a girl who takes pride in being "fashionable."

Lastly it was Victoria's turn to be shocked. Mostly by A.J.'s tone when she interrupted her. It seemed like she didn't want to jump into whatever she showed up to do in the first place, but Victoria nevertheless takes in a deep breath while looking down, and starts with "That night." Hearing such a thing mentioned again causes Tiffany to gasp. A.J., the attentive girlfriend as always, motions Tiffany to grab her hand, to give the taller girl at least some comfort and stability towards wherever this conversation is heading. "That night, it, well I, I, I can't STAND IT anymore! Every single day I think about, I can't stop thinking about HIM! Just, without even a single care, just SNAPPING Rob's neck! Like, Rob didn't even have a CHANCE!" Victoria bursted out. This was a side of Victoria that A.J. in a million years would've never guessed existed, much less see. But they wasted in no time at all to try to offer Victoria some comforting gestures, Tiffany using her other hand to rub Victoria's shoulder. Though Tiffany wasn't faring any better, seeming like she was trying to not think to hard about that night at all and only focusing on the words themselves.

"As soon as I saw that I ran! I ran away as far as I could to where I last saw Shelly's blue car. I didn't know where that, KILLER was, but I had to get out. I had to get away" Victoria continued, A.J. keeping in mind knowing exactly WHO that brute chased right after Rob. She definitely knew personally. "I was able to find a spare canister of gas and the car battery. I had no idea why the battery was pulled out, but that wasn't the point. Luckily Chad had found the keys so we got in and drove away. Away from that place. Straight for the airport" Victoria finishes, albeit extremely distraught. "Wait, you and Chad _left_ without anybody else?!" A.J. pointed out. "We were freaking out! We weren't thinking! And now ever since then I see that night. Every day. I just don't know what to do anymore" Victoria explained.

"Well," Tiffany finally pipes up, "Why, don't you think about going to therapy? I used to ask my school counselor in high school stuff I didn't get a lot of the time." " _Me_ , going to _therapy?_ Are you out of your mind?!" Victoria asked, looking almost as offended as if Tiffany had said that her outfit was ugly. "But I have my REPUTATION to think of! If they hear rich and pristine Victoria Sterling herself going to _therapy_ they'd send me to the wack house!" "No, Tiffany is right. You really need to go if it's affecting you this bad" A.J. said, backing up her girlfriend. It was very sound advice, something she had never considered herself. But now she's worried even more about Tiffany if Tiffany was the one to bring up therapy. "But what if-" "VICTORIA please, go. Don't worry about your reputation either. There is a thing called 'doctor-patient confidentiality'. If there's a thing you're great at, it's looking after yourself. Look after your sanity" A.J. interrupted. Victoria seemed to ponder on it, who knows if she'll actually do it or not.

"By the way, how are _you two_ handling what happened?" Victoria asked. At the same time, though not realizing that the other was trying to sound as convincing as possible, both blurted "We're doing great!" "I'm only asking because Chad is actually worried about you two. I mean, way more than I would ever be of course. In fact he's the one who suggested that I go see you two about all of this in the first place" Victoria said, trying to gain back her normal appearance. "You two must've really softened him up or something. Not that that would happen to me of course" she adds. "Aw Chad!" Tiffany vocalized. 'I wonder if Chad also sent Victoria because he's worried about her. They have to be close in some sort of fashion' A.J. surmised to herself. She'll have to bring it up to Tiffany later to see what she thinks about it.

Victoria suddenly stands straight up from her seat and declares "Well, time to go home!" "Wait, that's it?!" Tiffany asked. "Why of course! Otherwise the clothes I bought today will start forming creases in their bags! They're still in my car you know!" Victoria pointed out, a fact she deems extremely important. "Well, I guess we'll maybe see you again at some point? Take care, Victoria" A.J. said, though she couldn't believe she was indeed even expecting to see her again. Victoria merely heads towards the door and opens it. But before she went through it and closed the door behind her, she turns around and says to A.J. "Oh, and your outfit. It's very you. And I hate to say this, but it being 'you' should be the most important thing you should care about." After she had left, it took both A.J. and Tiffany a moment to process what she said. "It must be her way of saying 'thank you'!" Tiffany assumed. "I suppose it was" A.J. also deduced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Freaking Victoria Sterling. She's at least a bit nicer! Though they did spend a whole Summer together with everyone else, so it gives them time to break down potential barriers in a not great landscape (I do NOT like camping personally). But A.J. and Tiffany are too cute together. And we all know who Jason chased after Rob's death. Poor girls. Y'all stay safe!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"Go home kid." "No you go home!" "Kid if I go home then you would have to also go home. I have the keys to this shop." "Then I guess we both won't be going home until we close. Also stop calling me 'kid'!" The owner of "Harvey's", presumably Harvey, and Tiffany, were at it again. This was her fifth day of showing up ever since being denied a job by the very same old man who she's currently arguing with. "There is no 'we close.' It's when _I_ close" he says to her. "Oh you're just being stubborn at the moment. It'll pass, then you'll really want me sticking around!" Tiffany tells the old man. "Kid, enough. Just go ahead and do your pranks already and be on your way" he said. "What are you talking about _now?_ " Tiffany asked. "You're probably here because you lost a bet and now you have to make fun of an old man. Because that is what you high schoolers do for fun now" he presumed. "HIGH SCHOOL? Sir, I am twenty-one years old. I graduated years ago! And no, I told you already that I'm trying to get hired! Why won't you _listen?_ " Tiffany prompted. She was so tired of these weird accusations.

The old man ignored her complaints, most seemingly because he didn't care, as he was replacing brake pads. She noticed that he uses a breaker bar first on the break caliper's bottom bolt to break it loose before using a regular ratchet to loosen up the rest of the bolt, then proceeded to finish unscrewing it with his hands. 'Using a breaker bar so you don't bust your ass with that ratchet! Genius!' she thought. She is absolutely fascinated by all of these repairs. Something else caught her eye though. "Hey, you only took out the bottom bolt. Is it because if you had done the top, the break line would've been tugged on? Then not being able to open the caliper?" she asked him. "Yeah" he responded. 'Radical!' she thought. As she thought that, he had already lifted the caliper lid in a clam shell fashion. She then hands him the flat-head screwdriver and he proceeds to pop off both of the worn break pads with it. He brings down the caliper and screws back in the bolt, but not all of the way. 'Why would he do that? I thought he was just replacing the break pads' she questions in her head.

He grabs the breaker bar again and untightens the back two caliper bracket bolts with it (which keeps the caliper and caliper bracket connected to the suspension knuckle behind the rotor). Tiffany, now realizing what he intends to do next, hands him the ratchet. He starts unscrewing the caliper bracket bolts in the back. He finishes the bottom one, then starts looking around. "Crap where is that bungee cord?" he says to himself. Tiffany then jumps in and says "I can hold the calipers up! No worries!" while holding said things. He sighs, then accepts the help. "Lift it up when the top bolt is taken out, ya hear?" he directs, with Tiffany nodding in affirmation. They do so, and he pulls out the old rotor afterwards. He grabs a small squeeze tube, squeezes out a portion, and rubs it on the sections between the wheel studs. "What is that?" Tiffany asks. "Anti-seize. Prevents the rotor from getting rust-welded onto the hub" he answers. "Ooooh okay." He grabs the new and shiny rotor, wipes it real quick, and slides it back in where the old one was taken out. He screws in two lug nuts after. It seemed like he could sense a new confusion from the her, so he says "It prevent the dang thing from moving while I work on the surrounding parts." She nods three times to that, appreciating that he explained it.

The old man grabs a blue bottle of what she could read as "Loctite" and applies the blue substance on the two bracket bolts. "Thread-lock. Stops rusting and prevents vibrations from loosening the bolts" he explains to her, probably sensing another confusion, "Hand me the caliper." "Okay!" Tiffany says, slowly lowering it to him. He takes it and places it back where it was originally. He slides in both bracket bolts in through the back and screws them back on. She next hands him the torque wrench and he uses it to apply the right pressure while tightening the both bracket bolts, top and then bottom one. The caliper and caliper bracket now secured, he unscrews the loose screw keeping the clam-shelled metal down. He lifts up the cover, and keeps it propped. She hands him the screwdriver again so he can pry out the old clips. She hands him the metal brush, and he uses it to clean out the brake dust. The old man then grabs the Anti-seize and applies a small portion on the section of the new clips that will be touching the new brake pads, then added more on the back of the brake pads themselves, though none on the main surface of them. He adds one of the new clips to the bottom where the old one was, then the new one with prongs sticking out on the top spot.

Tiffany now hands him the brake pad spreader to reset the piston. He grabs one of the old brake pads and uses it as a surface for the spreader to push the piston back, then takes both out. He slides in the new brake pads with the wear indicators on the top and the backs facing outwards, just like she has read. He pulls out the caliper guide pin and wipes it clean with his rag, lathers it with silicone paste that she hands him, and slide it back inside before doing the same to the top guide pin. He brings down the caliper shell, and Tiffany hands him the torque wrench again and he uses it to screw in the bolt keeping the shell securely locked. 'Time to move onto the other three!' she thought to herself.

After finishing all four wheels with their replacements and pumping the brakes a couple of times, the old man asks "Hey kid, how did you know which tools I needed? They didn't seem like guesses either." "Hm? Oh, I told you that I would take this job seriously! I've studied and studied for weeks!" she tells him while wiping her hands from grease using one of his clean rags. "Studied? I thought no one would hire you" he questions her as he snatches the rag from her hand. Now pouting due to that rude gesture, continues "That's right, no one would hire me. But before and up to even now, I study from my books." "Books? Books got you up to speed in that short of a span?" he asks. "Yes it did. Wait was that a compliment? Does that mean you'll hire me now?!" she prayed. "What? No, I'm not hiring you" he repeats, but it falls on deaf ears as Tiffany looks at the clock. "Time to pick up A.J.! See you next week old man!" she shouts to him whilst jogging to the mazda. "Stop showing up!" he yells back in the distance.

She drives as the sun sets, revealing the beautiful large shades of orange and pink taking over blue in the sky. She enjoys this scenery. It made the whole world feel, magical? She could never completely put it into words. "Infatuation" playing on the radio added to the fun. The background instrumentals especially. She feels a little disappointed though. 'A.J. and I don't get to enjoy this time of day often. She gets out right when it hits dusk.' She parks in front of Tower Records and relaxes into her seat, waiting for her rocker girl. "Almost Paradise" starts playing as the sun passed the horizon, though leaving the bottom parts of the clouds still touched by orange colors, but blue hues taking over the skies again. "Wow this song is going to get me emotional" she chuckles to herself. She stares at the sky, cars passing by, then the passenger door opening. "Whoa this song is pretty heavy. Trying to set the mood?" in drops A.J., closing the door after getting in. "I love you a lot" Tiffany finds herself saying as soon as she sees the shorter girl, giving her a kiss as A.J. straps on the seat belt. "Wow this song really hit you big time, huh? I love you a lot too" A.J. responds. Tiffany decides that it would be fun to blow a kiss right to A.J., who proceeds to say "STOP that, I wanna go home before getting into any more kisses."

Tiffany giggles, thinking 'She's so cute if I can get her to be even a _little_ flustered.' They drive back home and climb their normal three stories into their apartment, A.J. kicking off her high tops as soon as they walk inside. "My feet are killing me. Want anything from the fridge?" A.J. asks her. "Hm? Oh can I have one of your Dr Peppers?" Tiffany asks. Tiffany is more of a Pepsi girl, but sometimes she feels it's good to change it up so her favorite drink doesn't end up being "just another drink". "Yeah you can. I have plenty left" A.J. answers. She gets them for the both of them as Tiffany takes off her shoes and socks, and they both cuddle onto the sofa. A.J. looks at her for a second, Tiffany confused as to why she's staring at her. A.J. then rubs her left cheek, wiping something off. "You had some kind of smudge on your face, silly" she tells her. "I did? My goodness! Good thing I didn't get out of the car after the workshop! Thank you!" she thanks her girlfriend as she tries to give her a hug. "Tiffany wait don't you're gonna make me spill my soda!" A.J. pleads. "Oh! Sorry!" she apologizes, letting go. She grabs the remote and starts flipping through channels. Tiffany was normally in charge of the remote, since she was the one to usually use the TV. A.J. mostly wasn't bothered with what ever Tiffany picked.

"How did you even get your face dirty?" A.J. asked. "I guess I must've tried wiping my face away of sweat and I've forgotten that my hands were still dirty from helping the old man!" Tiffany explains. "Wait, you got to work on something?!" A.J. looked surprised to hear that. "Yeah! He even complimented me without him realizing it! AND I got to learn new stuff! It's so fun A.J.!" Tiffany said. "Well that's good. I'm happy you had a good day" A.J. smiled. "I really did! Oh, but tell me about your day too! I wanna hear all about it!" she loved hearing anything that her love-bug had to say. "My day? Hmm, let's see..." A.J. starts, and they end up talking back and forth quite a bit, ignoring the TV. Aside from the commercials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Did you enjoy learning how to replace brake pads and the rotor of a car?! Okay I'm sorry, I think I might've gone overboard with the whole thing, but I think it's good to see the types of things Tiffany could potentially be working with in the future. It's a lot of complicated stuff! Now next week's is going to be great because my favorite character from the movie series is coming back! A double date actually! I had so much fun writing it, please do check it out! Until next time!


	13. th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

A.J. wakes up very sleepily once again. Her eyelids feeling as heavy as they do every time she wakes up, especially if she has work. But not today. She hears what she considers lulling breathing behind her, so she rolls over to the culprit of that breathing. This causing Tiffany to barely wake up. "Hey, did you need help getting up?" the taller girl murmured while keeping her eyes closed. "No, we're going back to sleep. It's Saturday, remember?" A.J. assured her as softly as she could. "Mmm" is all she heard from Tiffany, assuming to mean "Okay", so A.J. scoots in closer, Tiffany lazily using her right arms to bring A.J. closer, and gives her a kiss? Though it was less of a kiss as Tiffany mostly just landed her lips onto A.J.'s cheek. And they fall right back to sleep.

They both wake back up around noon and do their "morning" routine again. "It's too bad we can't have breakfast now, since it's like 12:40 now" A.J. comments, as Tiffany is getting dressed after her shower. "Who says we can't have breakfast? We'll have brunch then! C'mon, I'll make you some pancakes!" Tiffany responds. "Really? You'll do that?" A.J. asks, though now she feels dumb for sounding so excited about it. Giggling, Tiffany answers "Of course! You love them! Don't think I haven't noticed! Why do you think I've been trying to take longer showers in the morning lately? So we can't have enough time and forcing us to snag you some hotcakes before work!" Of course, why didn't she think of that before. 'I did not expect Tiffany to become this crafty' thought A.J. And without so much as to make a noise, Tiffany jumps from behind her into a hug! "Because I LOVE you, A.J." "I love you too" she responds, taking Tiffany's hands into her own. She'll allow herself to enjoy this hug for a little bit.

Sitting at their dining table after cooking, A.J. is just loving the pancakes. She thought she was a pretty decent cook, but Tiffany makes the best pancakes. Or maybe she is just biased. Something is bothering her though... "Tiffany why are you staring at me while I eat?" she asks her. Tiffany, who was smiling while looking at A.J., snapped out of her train of thought. "Oh, I just really like it when I get to see you eat them! You look so happy!" Tiffany admitted. Feeling her cheeks beginning to blush, A.J. retaliates with " _Tiffany!_ " A.J. wasn't sure if she should be happy or embarrassed. Then the telephone starts ringing. A.J. begins to get up, but Tiffany jumps up faster, "Sit down! Finish your food! I wanna get the phone this time!" A.J. remarks "You only want to get the phone so you can continue to watch me eat." Tiffany merely gives a shrug, but her smile while doing so shows her true intentions. Tiffany picks it up and answers "A.J. and Tiffany's residence, this is Tiffany!," followed by a small pause, then a squeal?! "Tina! Oh my gosh oh my gosh hi! What are you, wait, say that again?" The fact that Tina is on the other line caught A.J.'s attention, who slowly continues to eat. "Y-YEAH of course! No it's okay, we're both off! Okay, so this is where you'll go from there," Tiffany says, then continues into what A.J. could easily describe as directions. But then the directions start sounding familiar... "Okay I'll see you soon! Bye!" Tiffany hangs up, "A.J. you wouldn't believe who was on the phone!" "Tina?" A.J. correctly guessed. "YEAH, she and her boyfriend are in L.A.! And they wanted to see us! So I gave her directions to our apartment!" Tiffany explained. It hits A.J. that TINA is on her way, much less people that do not live here. So she starts chowing down to finish the rest of the pancakes, then rush into the bedroom to apply her makeup. "A.J. no! You don't need to hurry! It's just Tina! She'll understand if you aren't ready!" Tiffany tries to console, but no. A.J. will not budge on this. "Tiffany I can't let anybody see me without makeup. Please just help me" she asks. Tiffany immediately understood and helped her get ready.

After getting dressed and washing the dishes, the two had just made it in the nick of time before they hear knocking on their door. "They're here!" Tiffany exclaimed, and runs to the door, A.J. following closely. She admits that she is also excited to see Tina again. If she were a child and had met Tina in similar circumstances, she would probably look up to Tina as a hero of some kind. Tiffany opens the door and squeals again! And jumps straight into giving a hug to Tina! Tina is looking absolutely shocked, considering that the door flung open and was immediately thrown into physical contact. She recovers and reciprocates the hug, less awkward than the last time they saw each other. Tiffany grabs A.J.'s wrist and throws her onto Tina as she gives Tina's boyfriend a greeting hug. A.J. was actually happy enough to give Tina one, and gave another to Tina's boyfriend out of courtesy, as Tiffany snuck in one more hug to Tina. "I've missed both of you. Honestly" Tina expressed. "We missed you too!" "We certainly did" both Tiffany and A.J. said. "Nick, these are my friends Tiffany, and A.J. Girls, this is my boyfriend Nick" Tina introduced to one another. "And if you're guessing, yes we're dating!" piped in Tiffany. A.J. expected some sort of surprise out of Nick, but instead was greeted with a kind smile. "Hi, I'm Nick, nice to meet you girls" Nick says, giving a hello gesture. "Wanna come inside?" A.J. offered. She assumed that Tiffany already invited them, and she guess correctly. "YEAH come in come in!" Tiffany said, getting behind the other couple and pushing them inside, leaving A.J. to close the door.

Tina and Nick seemed pretty impressed with the apartment. "There are a lot of posters here. And every single poster is a different group" Tina commented. "I've had a lot of posters of my bands already up, but when Tiffany moved in we decided it would be more fun to mix and match both of our groups on the walls" A.J. explained. "Yeah we have her Judas Priest, my Bangles, her Ratt, my Cyndi Lauper, her Ozzy Osbourne, my Duran Duran!" Tiffany listed, pointing to each poster that was brought up. A.J. noticed that Nick was hovering over her stereo system. "You have a towering set over here" he says, sounding a bit astounded, "It's like one of those big box store rack ones." "Oh I actually had to piece together the whole thing. It took quite a while. There was no way I could've bought it all at once, even though buying a whole set would've been cheaper." A.J. explained to him, as the two other girls were busy talking about other things. "But the brand is, Kenwood? I thought normally people bought Pioneer or Sansui" he wondered. "Well yeah, but I personally absolutely love Kenwood. Like up here, this turntable, the L-07d, was a fortune, but has so many different layers of materials to reduce resonance. Then I have my pair of L-05's and L-07M's, but this, my KR-9940 Receiver. It has a four-channel encode-decode system... Sorry, this all probably sounds like nonsense to you" A.J. tries to laugh off. "No no it's fine. I actually do need to get my own stereo system. It would be great for our new place. I really do appreciate it" Nick says.

"New place?" Tiffany pipes in, her and Tina joining into the conversation. "Yeah we were able to find one finally" Nick answered. "Which is why we were on our way there, before I asked if we could drop by to see you two" Tina further explained. "Oh plus L.A. is really nice. We thought it would be great to check it out" Nick said. "It's, not bad hahaha" Tiffany laughs, A.J. adding "Sometimes the people can be assholes. A lot of the places are, okay though." "We can take them to some of those places! Some sightseeing for them!" Tiffany suggested. "Really? Are you sure?" Tina asked. "Yeah definitely. It'd be much better than being cooped up in this apartment all day," A.J. says, "C'mon, I'll drive us." "Yes! Let's go!" Tiffany charged forward, Nick bringing Tina closer and says "Hey this is great. This'll be fun." Tina nodding in agreement. Before A.J. locked up the apartment door she has a passing thought about her stereo. 'But gosh would I love to get my hands on a Pioneer SX-1250 receiver...'

They get into the mazda, A.J. at the wheel (what with Tiffany being so excited about the whole adventure, A.J. felt compelled to let her enjoy today with their friends as much as they could). "Where would we even possibly take them?" A.J. asked Tiffany. "Hmm that's a good question," Tiffany commented, then turns to Tina and Nick, who are in the back seats, "Where would you two like to go to?" "Well we can start with some of the big name places and work our way down" Nick suggested. "Can we... Look at the Hollywood sign real quick?" Tina shyingly asked, and those two suggestions immediately sparked the two girls minds. "Duh!" "Of course!" they told each other. "We can take them to Mann's Chinese Theatre after we drive past the sign!" Tiffany said. "Oh definitely. Hell I haven't been there since I was a kid" A.J. told her. "Me too! My sister and I would ask our parents to take us! Though it was mostly an excuse to get us out somewhere in general" Tiffany excitedly told the group. "Oh I've been meaning to ask," Nick began, " You two have a pretty big collection of albums. Is it both of your's, or...?" "I would say separately it's pretty even, actually. Which is surprising considering that I work at Tower Records, so I would normally have a bigger collection" A.J. responded, followed by an elevated Tiffany, "I'm proud of the amount that I bought! We mixed both of our collections into one when I moved in, but not too many duplicates. We've even shared our music to each other! It's fun!" "Yeah except you didn't like Alice Cooper's 'DaDa'" A.J. brought up. "LISTEN that album is _scary!_ The first song is terrifying!" Tiffany expressed. "Tiffany that was the only song you listened to. The rest of the album isn't that bad at all" A.J. pointed out, but Tiffany is having none of it. She turns to face Tina and Nick and says "Like if you heard the first song of an album and it was scary you'd think the rest of the songs are like that too, right?" She doesn't really get an answer because both Tina and Nick are too busy laughing from the whole banter.

A.J. and Tiffany pointed out many other spots that they like to walk through or hang out at as the four headed to the Hollywood sign (A.J. was happy enough that Tiffany didn't divulge the time she herself almost busted her face onto the sidewalk last month by tripping, though the scrapes kinda hurt). They end up driving by it and Tina is surprisingly in awe of it. She's beaming like a little girl being able to see it. "My mom used to watch a lot of movies when I was a kid, more at night time after we've been outside in the woods," Tina shared while Nick gave a comforting touch on her shoulder, "That sign is a lot cleaner than I expected." "Oh that! The sign was actually in pretty grody shape a couple of years ago! Let's see... In '78, I think?" Tiffany guessed. "Oh yeah it looked abysmal. It was definitely restored six years ago by celebrities. Like ALICE COOPER donating the second O" A.J. emphasizing that last part to Tiffany before chuckling. " _Okay_ " Tiffany said, the only thing she could say to that taunt. Both Tina and Nick merely laugh again. Then another memory seemed to hit Tiffany. "OH! Remember before they renovated it, someone altered it to say 'HOLLYWeeD'?" "Yeah! I think I was still in Junior High for that!" A.J. remembered. "Wait _what?_ " Nick asked in disbelief. "Yeah some college student at the time apparently. Pretty fun time."

After a couple of minutes, finding parking and some more time spent on walking (pointing out more memories as children as it came to them), they had finally made it to Mann's Chinese Theatre. After taking in the grandness that was the door's entrance, they wasted in no time to scope out the celebrity footprints, especially A.J., who immediately went up to the ones made by Kiss. "You found that way too fast hahaha" Tiffany pointed out. "Well I mean," A.J. tries to brush off, but then continues to stare at the Kiss' prints. Tiffany stares with her for a bit before wandering off to the other ones. A.J. then moves on to the one Tina and Nick were looking at. "Oh Sylvestor Stallone" A.J. pointed out. Tina nods "Mhm! Though I guess Stallone forgot to cross his 't' on his last name. Nick did show me the first three Rocky movies and I thought they were really great! When, um, I was institutionalized for seven years, I didn't get to watch much movies. So when Nick and I had started going out, he's been trying to catch me up! It's been fun!" "It really has," Nick jumped in, "We also found Burt Reynolds right before Stallone's. I was pretty surprised to find his." "Wait 'til you see Herbie's" A.J. teased. "The _car?_ " Nick asked dumbfounded. A.J. merely walked over to where Tiffany was. "Oh I wish I brought a camera..." she found her pouting. "What're you fussing about?" A.J. asked. "A.J.! Look!," she points down to the handprint she was hovering over, "It's Donald Duck's! They made it a couple of months ago!" "You're right they did" A.J. noticed. "I didn't think they'd do one of _his!_ We should've brought a camera!" she complained. "We can bring one next time. And yes, we can also ask Tina and Nick if we can all jumble up into a photo" A.J. assured her. "That would be rad!" Tiffany stated, and they both returned to where the other couple was.

After examining the rest of the hand prints, they decided to get some food, so they hop back into the white mazda and drive west on Hollywood Boulevard, took a left, then a right onto Sunset Boulevard for a bit. "What about... Dar Maghreb? Or Ah Fong? Or..." Tiffany starts suggesting, the choices adding as they keep cruising through the city. A.J. follows the street with Tiffany continuing "Imperial Gardens? Carlos 'n Charlie? The Source? Cyrano? Mirabelle? Spago?" "Spago is expensive do not suggest that hahaha" A.J. remarks, Tiffany sheepishly joining in the laughter, "Sorry, I heard it opened up about two years ago so I was curious." "It's okay I don't blame you" A.J. assures. "Um," Tina chimes in, immediately catching their attention, "Why don't we just park somewhere and walk around until we find something that sounds good? It's a bit hard to decide if we're driving right past 'em." "She does make a good point..." A.J. admits. "Then let's go to Farmer's Market! It's a great place to walk around and we can eat at Du-par's!," Tiffany suggests, then turns to the couple in the back, "It's a diner! So it should have all different types of food!" This caught everyone's attention in the car. "Like, pancakes" Tiffany smirked. 'This girl is dangerous to my health' A.J. muses. "That sounds fun! I would be down for that! What do you think Tina?" Nick asks her. "I'd like that" Tina approves. "So..." A.J. begins, but Tiffany reading her mind "Go to 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue!" "Gotcha."

They ended up finding a great parking spot near the famous clock tower. They walked through and explored the various vendor spots until they ran into Du-par's. They sat in, ordered, and began eating, while talking about a number of various things. "So how is Tommy?" Tiffany asks, taking in a fry from her plate. "Tommy? Well you know how he is. He can never really relax. But right after you two flew out, his girlfriend, Megan, showed up in his truck. I guess she was pretty pissed" Tina answered. "That he took her camaro? We saw a red one in front of the sheriff's" A.J. brought up, trying to stay in the conversation despite the fact that she is in bliss at the moment, what with the pancakes. "That was her's, but no, it was because he didn't tell her where he was going when he went off to be a hero. Though in his defense she probably would've tagged along if he did" Tina pointed out. "Is this Megan nice?" Tiffany asked. "Really nice! I enjoy her company. She's very, how should I put this, clever? But she tries to live her life, and ease Tommy's, they should be on their way hopefully soon" Tina recalled. "Soon?" Tiffany asks. "I'm gonna go pay for us real quick, be right back" Nick interrupts as he gives a quick kiss to Tina's cheek, something that made Tiffany and A.J. super happy. "Yeah," Tina continues, "Jenny is about to fly back here to L.A. soon, since just about everyone should have flown here now as well. So Tommy would have no need to stick around that place anymore. So him and Megan are going to drive just like Nick and I did. They're going to move to L.A.!" "Then we can meet Megan!," Tiffany realized, then remembers "By the way Nick is really great for you!" "Huh?" Tina asks, this definitely catches her off guard. "Yeah he's really nice" A.J. backs Tiffany up. Tina, now smiling, states "Nick helped me a lot, when I was in a very similar situation as you two were. I ended up losing almost everything in my life, except he was there for me." "Does he know about your telekinesis?" A.J. asked. Tina nods, "He was with me when I used it to save his and my lives, against Jason. And never judged me for it."

Nick gets back, and they leave the diner to roam the Farmer's Market, at least until they find an outside spot with a table and four chairs. A.J. says "Tiffany and I are gonna sit for a bit, you two can keep wandering around. We'll be here." Tina nods, and she and Nick take each other's hand as they walk deeper into the aisles. A.J. likes the atmosphere the sky was creating for them. "Finally" Tiffany pronounces, looking really content. "What's up?" A.J. inquired. "I'm happy, 'cause we get to spend this time of day together. I love sunsets" Tiffany expressed. 'Ah, so that's it' A.J. thought. "What is your favorite time of day?" Tiffany asks. A.J. remembers her times from being 17 up 'til now, and when she always relaxed. "Dusk," A.J. answers, "It looks absolutely so beautiful to me when I get off work, sometimes cruising around, or when I used to sit in the apartment, sipping my soda and taking in the music from my stereo as I stare out through the window. And now, even more so because it's when I finally get to see you again after a long day at work." They decide to scoot in, look around, making sure no one else is looking, and give each other a quick kiss. They allow themselves to enjoy the atmosphere a bit longer, hands barely touching but letting their pinky fingers wrap around one another's before Tiffany breaks the silence. "A.J. I've been wondering about something for quite a while now, how come you didn't have a TV before I moved in?" "For the similar reason I stated earlier, I like relaxing on the sofa after work and taking in the music. Though it also slightly has to do with the fact that I couldn't afford one, buying sections for the stereo and saving for that mazda" A.J. chuckles. Tina and Nick walk their way back to the two girls and Tiffany realizes "Wow you two are matching!" Tina and Nick look at each other's clothing. Denim pants and denim jackets, except Nick is wearing a sleeveless white shirt underneath while Tina wears a long-sleeved white shirt. "We are not matching" Tina tells them. "Tina you kinda are" A.J. pointed out. "No we're _not_ " Tina reiterates incredulously, and they all laugh. They head back to the apartment when it becomes dark.

Still outside of the building entrance, A.J. asks "Are you gonna need a place to crash at? 'Cause you can stay at our apartment if you want." Tina shakes her head with Nick replying "No it's okay, we already have a hotel. Thank you though." "Then would you like us to drive you to it at least?" Tiffany offers. Tina shakes her head again saying "We'll be fine. It's a nice night for a walk. But," she jumps onto them for a big hug!, "Thank you SO MUCH for today! I had one of the best times of my life! I know it's weird for me to say this, but I love you both so much." "We love you too!" Tiffany exclaimed, A.J. agreeing with a nod. They let go and say their goodbyes, the couple walk up the sidewalk, but it seemed Nick forgot something, so he came jogging back. "I wanted to quickly say thank you too. Tina has had a rough life and I want her to just have fun now. I'm normally pretty picky when it comes to friends, but if she can completely trust you from the bottom of her heart, then I consider you two my friends too" he tells them. "Nick!" Tiffany said, touched by those words as well. They give him a hug as well, he jogs back to Tina, and he waves goodbye. Tina takes his arm as they continue walking.

"She has the warmest smile" Tiffany says, taking A.J.'s hand. "Yes, yes she does. I hope she keeps it more often" A.J. concurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope y'all are doing okay. They had so much fun! Going to all the various touristic spots of L.A.! I usually fly to there about once or twice a year, and I STILL haven't visited those yet. I'm a bit jealous. Tina is my favorite from the movie series, and it's just so nice to write of her having a happy life after what happened in Part VII (that movie might take place over Part VI as my favorite if I'm not careful)! Plus I haven't seen much, if any, fic of her and Nick together! I had to remedy that. I love this and Chapter 4 so much. A.J. and Tiffany need more fun days together! Thank you for continually reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany and A.J. are eating cereal on the table, with the TV in the background again. "Tiffany can we get, like, a different kind the next time we go shopping? I feel like these Lucky Charms make me want to crash in the middle of work" A.J. asks her. Still chewing, Tiffany says "Bu yee-ew al-wow wa ah qu-ash." Smiling, A.J. proposes "Can you try that again, after you've swallowed?" Chewing real quick and then swallowing, she retries "But you always wanna crash!" Chuckling and shaking her head, A.J. says "Thanks, but I still think it affects me regardless. What's the one that came out this year?" "I don't know. I don't keep up with cereal news" Tiffany says, though she wonders if she might've accidentally sounded condescending or something. "Wow, I was just wondering. I just happened to pass by a store that sold TVs and a few months ago and I glanced at a commercial that said something was new, is all" A.J. stated. 'Oops, I guess I said that the wrong way after all' Tiffany thought. "I'll wash the dishes real quick!" she says, and grabs both of theirs and heads to the sink, humming "Hungry Like the Wolf" as she's scrubbing. A.J. meanwhile watches the TV for a bit. When she finishes, she goes to A.J. so they can head off. A.J. is about to fall asleep however. "A.J.!" Tiffany vocalized. A.J., who had almost reverted to how she is when she gets up in the morning, opens her eyes. "You have a sleeping problem!" she points out. A.J. just smiles and shrugs it off, asking "Ready?" Tiffany could only nod at the moment, taking the remote and turning the TV off. They hold hands and lock up the apartment door. Once they're outside they let go and drive to Tower.

Stopping in front of the record store, Tiffany immediately pipes up "About earlier, the cereal thing. I didn't mean to sound that harsh. I'm sorry." She was feeling a bit guilty about it, but A.J. shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. But thank you. I appreciate that" A.J. tells her, then the next song on the radio starts playing. "Holy crap is that 'Change'?!" A.J. asked in shock. Tiffany definitely knows that song. Tears for Fears is another band that she loves, but she already realized that she doesn't have to answer A.J.'s question, since she sees that A.J. herself is deciding whether or not to be late just so she can listen to it. "Fuck, uh, naw I gotta go. I love you Tiffany!" A.J. says. "I love you too! Have fun!" Tiffany answers her with, and mouths a 'Bye!' when A.J. looks behind her one more time before going in the glass doors. 'Now,' Tiffany thinks to herself, 'Today HAS to be the day that the old man will hire me!'

She drives up and parks at her normal spot before heading inside. She notices someone going into the back seat of a taxi and heading off. "Must've dropped off their car for the day so it can be fixed!" she says to herself with glee. She skips to the opened garage door and heads inside. "I'm here!" she announces herself. She sees the old man under the hood, using a line wrench. And on closer inspection using it to remove the vacuum lines attached to the carburetor. "I said that I'm here" she tells him. "Saying that you're here is not a greeting" he lectures her. "Fine, hello!" she tries again. "I don't care" he bluntly stated. He pulls out the carburetor and sets it on a nearby table. He wipes his hands a bit and says "C'mon help me with this one" motioning her to the next car. Surprised he even asked her to help him, she scurries along behind him "O-okay!"

Hours pass, and they're still working on the second car. "Crap!," the old man says, "This is why you gotta change your oil every six months! Especially if you're barely going to use your car!" Tiffany nods, saying "Gotcha, gotcha." He then looks over his shoulder behind him at the analog clock. "Damn it this is gonna take me the rest of the night" he complains, then his eyes scroll down to meet the item he left on the table. "For fuck's sake, I don't even have time for the carburetor" he says, throwing one of his rags onto the floor. He walks over to the table, Tiffany getting up from the second car and feeling puzzled. She then overhears him talk to himself "I can't believe I'm actually doing this..." He picks up the carburetor, and shouts "Kid, c'mere!" She rolls her eyes as she does just that, saying "You don't need to shout, old man." "Shut up and listen. I'm giving you a kit and a new float for it. Take the carburetor home and get it fixed up" he says as he hands her everything. "Wait hold on a sec! I should be hired first, right?" she asks him. She can't let him get off the hook about actual work! He sighs, and says "Fine, I'll do it all myself." Panicking, she pulls it away from him and says "No wait never mind I'll do it!" He shakes his head and heads back to the second car. "Grab the empty paint can and the carburetor solution can by the table. You'll need 'em. See ya tomorrow" he says. In awe, and then now beaming, she also says "See ya tomorrow!" She grabs one of his towels and ties it all inside of it, and takes that and a couple of other things and heads off.

She makes it to Tower Records in time as usual, A.J. walking right out the entrance and into the passenger's seat. "Well don't you look happy today. I love it" she compliments. They lean in for a quick kiss and Tiffany heads back onto the road. "Yeah the old man and I had to work on this one car the WHOLE day 'cause the owner never changed their oil! He's actually still working on it now! I actually have some after-hours work myself" Tiffany explained. "Oh?" A.J. inquired. "Yeah it's in the back seat behind me! So I might have to work on it for a while tonight, if that's okay?" Tiffany asked. "Of course it's okay! You don't need to ask me about that!" A.J. told her. "Great! Then let's get some McDonald's real quick so I can eat something easy!" Tiffany suggests, A.J. agreeing with her. They head home after getting food, and Tiffany tries to wolf down her chicken nuggets and fries as fast as she could, A.J. trying the same so she can get out of the way. And Tiffany unwraps the now stained towel, unveiling the carburetor and the tools needed. She gets right to work on the weirdly shaped contraption. It was so fascinating to her. Unscrewing each bolt revealed a new part of the machine she's never seen before, but keeping in mind of where every piece went to for when she puts it back together, leaving certain pieces on the table together in sections. It's like a treasure chest. Well almost like one. She was just having so much fun with it. "Hey Tiffany" her girlfriend called to her. "Mhm? What's up?" she asked. "Can I borrow your Walkman? I didn't wanna use the stereo to bother you, so I'm gonna head out walking for a bit" A.J. explained. "Yeah of course! My stuff is your stuff!" Tiffany urged. A.J. gave her a kiss on the cheek as a thank you before heading out.

A while later into the project she unscrews the throttle body and twists the shaft controlling the plate, checking to see if there could be any vacuum leaks. Satisfied that there wouldn't be for quite a while in its future, she finishes unscrewing it and more parts of the carburetor until it's in its bare bones. She runs down to the mazda to grab the rest of the stuff she needed and runs back up with it. She sets the empty paint can on the table, places in the "bare bones" of the carburetor (the non-small parts), and carefully poured the caustic carburetor solution inside of it to soften the gunk up. She's so happy she decided to wear gloves for this. 'Hope A.J. doesn't come back soon. She'd be pissed if she knew that I used this on the table' Tiffany thought, reminding herself at how acidic the solution can be. She lets it sit in the paint can for a while, taking off her gloves and turning on the stereo, listening to music for a bit. Once enough time passed, she put on gloves again and started using a metal brush to scrape away stuff on the parts. Once done and wiped away anything nasty, she disposed of the old solution, and started to get to work on reassembling everything, tearing open the carburetor kit and unflapping the instructions it came with to begin. Though she mostly needs it as an occasional reference point.

She grabs the bottom linkage, puts in the new float the old man ordered (at least she could assume so), and adds a gasket to the inlet valve, screwing it in after. Adds in the spring and holds the whole thing upside down to make sure the float doesn't pop out. Satisfied, she continues by replacing a super duper small gasket and hooking the pump rod through the outside. She grabs the accelerator pump and replaces the cup for it. Next is the spring that it comes with, popping both into the top linkage, adding the outer retainer screw. Grabs the bottom linkage again, slips in a new gasket and puts the throttle body underneath, twisting all the screws in. Slips in the check ball and counterweight inside a very small hole in the bottom linkage, grabs the top linkage, slides a new gasket in between the both of them, and combines the linkages together. Runs in all the screws to make sure they all fit, before screwing them all in. Fishes in the fast idle cam, it looking good, attaches the snap ring. She fits the next new gasket on the side, popping it in with the tip of a screwdriver, slips in the H.I.C. valve, then screws a new gasket on top of it, and then the metal copy of the gasket on top of that. 'So many gaskets...' she thought. Attaches the choke pull off (weirdest name she's seen yet). Adds more things, then notices what the instructions say. The canister purge is important for the idle speed adjustment? 'It probably accounts for what comes into the charcoal canister' she thinks, said canister used to prevent vapors from polluting the air, instead trapping it to be burned. So she grabs a vacuum pump on the right hand, and a flat-head screwdriver with her left, unscrewing counter-clockwise a top piece, while pumping every now and then, until that very small piece is barely touching the seal underneath it, meaning that it's holding vacuum. Once it does, she releases the vacuum and rescrews the same top piece clockwise by a fourth of a circle. Now done with that, she adds a new gasket (again), puts in a spring, and then the cover. The more she works on it, the more focused she feels she is getting.

Twenty minutes later she screws in the fuel filter, adds the air cleaner gasket, and keeps the last gasket for the old man, and she's done! 'Gosh I bet if I tried to explain to someone about this in person or by writing, they would not understand a single thing I said. Thank goodness for those photo examples in my books' she thought. She stretches and looks to her left at the clock. 11:45?! She took way later than she thought she would! She then remembers 'Wait, where's A.J.?!' and immediately stood up from her chair. Before she is about to run out, she catches feet dangling on the sofa from the corner of her eye. She walks to the sofa and sighs a breath of relief. There is A.J., asleep on the sofa. 'I didn't even realize she came back' Tiffany laughs to herself. "Love-bug, wake up" she shakes A.J.'s arm. It seemed like she was still listening to Tiffany's Walkman as she fell asleep. A couple of more shakes before A.J. got up. "Sorry, was waiting for you to finish, guess I fell asleep? Hahaha" her girlfriend says, scratching her head, the headphones slipping off. "I didn't even realize when you walked back inside! I did finish though!" Tiffany tells her, kissing her right after. "Ah, well that's good! Did you have fun..." A.J. begins, but trails off when she notices the smudge on her left arm, "Tiffany, you're still wearing your gloves." "Oh! I dirtied you with them! Oops!" she laughs off, then adds "I'll clean up my mess, go shower so we can go to sleep!"

They wake up the next morning and go about their normal routine, the difference being that A.J. is fully awake for the first time when she gets up, the nap the previous night contributing to that anomaly. She drops her shorter girlfriend off to work, with the usual, but still impactful kiss and an "I love you!" to one another, and drives to the shop. Now feeling super happy and proud that she fixed up a carburetor! A complicated piece for any vehicle! She parks, opens the door to the back seat and unwraps the towel holding the contraption. She strolls inside and shouts " _Hello_ , I'm here!" Right when she says that, she finds him just now slamming the hood of the second car from last night. "Huh? Oh you're here" the old man comments. "I'm always here! Oh, here you go!" She cheerfully says, handing him the shiny, almost new looking carburetor. He takes it, inspects it, and sets it on the same table he placed it on yesterday. "Did you finish the other car?" she asks him. "Yeah, stayed late, then came back today to finish it up. They'll be here to pick it up in a couple of hours, not until I yell at him first of course" he says. "And?" she asks. "And what?" he replies. Tiffany was at this point hoping to get something out of fixing the carburetor, "Are you gonna hire me now?" No answer from him, his face fully impassive. She clears her throat, giving the benefit of the doubt that he didn't hear her. "Are you going to hire me now?" Still nothing. She felt provoked. She had never felt this unappreciated before. "I _fixed_ that for you. I _helped_ you. _Many_ times! Not even a 'Good job, kid'?!" she asked incredulously. 

The old man just turns around and heads into the office, and comes walking back out holding some type of gray clothing. He tosses it to her and she barely catches it. It's a jumpsuit. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, because she was just recently angry, and now absolutely terrified that she would be wrong about this, so she asked "W-what is this...?" Still not smiling, but at least not annoyed, he states "Your jumpsuit, 'kid'. Well, at least your temporary one. I gotta get you a couple of them with your name on 'em. You're hired." Her emotions start overwhelming her and Tiffany starts tearing up "R-really?" Now getting grumpy, he almost yelled "Yes really!" She starts crying, and, barely audible, asks "Can I keep this one as a memento?" "Aw geez yes already! And stop the waterworks, kid!" he complained. "I'm not a kid, my name is Tiffany" she sniffles. He sighs, then introduces himself "The name's Harvey." "Harv's!" she exclaimed, regaining her energy. "NO, not Harvs, _Harvey!_ Now go get changed so I can show you how to do a flow bench test on what you just fixed." Absolutely delighted, she nods, saying "Righteous" under her breath.

After now finishing her first day at work and changing back to her normal clothes, she parks in front of Tower again, waiting for A.J. She was so absolutely giddy she could scream! 'I HAVE A JOB NOW!' she goes over in her head over and over again. And the sunset is even more beautiful today. The more she waits for her girlfriend though, the more surreal it feels that she got one. A Job. She looks to the seat behind her and there is her jumpsuit. And she's reminded that it IS real. She has a job! The very small hue of orange left on the horizon with the blue above it starting to turn very dark means that it's dusk, which means... And there's the click of the passenger door! A.J.! "Hey sorr-" A.J. begins to say, but Tiffany couldn't even contain herself anymore, she pulls herself AND A.J. into a long kiss. "W-well hi!" A.J. stutters in surprise. "I GOT THE JOB!" Tiffany yells to her. "The job?! Wait, you mean-" "YES! At the shop! I'm a mechanic now!," Tiffany tells her in delight, adding "Hurry hurry! Get in!"

They start driving away and as soon as they hit a red light, A.J. hugs her like crazy! And Tiffany is just so happy about both the job and A.J. hugging her, of course she's gonna hug her back just as excitingly (and squealing too)! They were so distracted with one another that they get honked at from behind due to not going when the light turns green. So they go back to their seats and start driving, telling A.J. everything while cruising. A.J. seemed like she was taking every single word that Tiffany was saying to heart, and was so so happy for her! 'Gosh I freaking love this girl so so much' she thinks to herself, and starts looking around while cruising. She finds a parking garage and speeds her way inside, going up levels until she hit the fourth floor. She parks and switches off the ignition. They unfasten their seat belts and do their super hugs again! They pull apart and Tiffany, who couldn't contain herself anymore, makes the first move right now and they start kissing. And kissing. Then Tiffany gets on top of A.J. on the passenger seat and they start making out more and more. "Tiffany wait-" A.J. says as she gasps for air. Tiffany doesn't really back down though, trying to give an "I'm sorry" as she gives another deep kiss. And another. "I'm just so happy right now" she tells her, and gives another deep kiss. "Let's head, home first" A.J. suggests, trying to catch her breath. "Okay" Tiffany accedes, breathing just as heavily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! TIFFANY GOT THE JOB! Yay! It kindof looked like she got it super fast, but I've been trying to keep track the dates of each chapter individually. So Ch. 8 happened on July 27th, Ch. 10 happened on August 11th, Ch. 12 happened on August 17th, and this one happened on the 22nd and 23rd? So it wasn't _necessarily_ fast. I did try my best to tone down the mechanic stuff a little bit, hope it helped. Those two girls are so great though, and I hope y'all love them too! See ya!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"I love you too!" A.J. says to her girlfriend, who blows A.J. a kiss goodbye. A.J. pretends that she captured the kiss that was sent her way, but she makes the mistake of still walking to the entrance while doing so. So, she trips. She immediately gets up, looks over her shoulder to see Tiffany with a very worried expression, and waves to her, hoping to send a signal saying she's fine. She heads inside, and as soon as Tiffany drives to her new job, she places the palm of her hand on her face and groans. 'That was absolutely the opposite of what she would deem "radical". Why is it I only for a fraction worry about looking cool when she is around? C'mon A.J. you need to relax' she thinks to herself.

"Uh, you okay?" She removes her hand and finds Todd carrying a stack of records, looking at her. She shakes off her embarrassment and tries to return to her stoic demeanor. "I'm fine. How was the first hour?" she asks him. "One or two customers here and there. It's still pretty early. They should start showing up in about the next two hours or so," Todd responds, then notices something, "Huh." She looks away, then back at him, now feeling like she's _urged_ to ask him "Huh _what_ , Todd?" "You normally don't try to make small talk. And you usually look happier now. Lately actually. It must mean... You really ARE dating someone! Am I right? I gotta be right!" Todd theorizes. "Where's the boss?" she asks, trying to change the subject. "Oh, huh. I don't know actually. He was in the office when I showed up" he responded. A.J. just slowly nods, saying "Then... I'll go stock up" "Already did that" he pointed out. She felt like her heart was kicked when he said that. Stocking and doing inventory were her favorite things at the store. Well, minus the music of course. But that doesn't count. With a hint of frustration, she says "Fine, I'll go through the aisles and find something to do."

She starts strolling through the aisles. If she can't find anything to do, then she'll just dick around for a while. She loved going into a section of the store and "getting lost." She always thanked her younger self for applying at this location. Black walls and counters, maroon colored shelves, gray carpet. It was a way more relaxing atmosphere than the main location at Sunset, which just screams yellow and red. It would've killed her vibe. She was also thankful to her boss for getting her a tank top version of the uniform shirt she was supposed to wear, which was a dark navy colored shirt with "Tower Records" and the curved square that surrounded it printed in white. Though she rarely wore that tank too, opting for her normal clothes. Actually, Todd rarely wore his shirt too. Oops. 'We really do get away with a lot of things' she humors herself with. She then realized where she was. "Well if it ain't the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" she do declared, mostly to amuse herself, as "Mr. Bojangles" plays in the speakers. Good ol' Country aisle. The genre wasn't her cup of tea, but she at least had a soft spot for that song, which played when she was a kid. Recognizing that song though, she decided to play her favorite little game. When hearing a song on a speaker, she'll head to shelves and flip through albums until she finds the one the song is from. As fast as possible though, since the song playing normally is more than enough time. Extra credit though if she can find the single as well. 'Ah, here it is.' She found the vinyl, in all its brown-colored jacket glory. She lets go of the other albums in front of it, making the rest slide back to their proper positions, and decides to head back.

Her hunch to return to the counter couldn't come at a better time, since more customers started to show up. She and Todd get through the requests and ringing them up, occasionally running back and forth to look for and get the singles the customers couldn't find. Or, if either were too busy, point the customer to a direction where their needs could possibly be met and hope for the best. But that's a last resort. About two hours later it slows down again and they write in their counts and whatnot. She glances at Todd, and decided to do something she's never done at the store, at least as long as she could remember: make small talk. "So... Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. Seeing his reaction, she could practically imagine Todd's jaw drop to the floor if this were a cartoon. He then vocalizes "WHOA, A.J.! Are you asking me out?!" She immediately punches his arm, "IDIOT! I'm already taken!" "O-ow! Wait a second, so I _am_ right! You _are_ definitely dating someone!" She never expected to slip that kind of information like that. "Todd," she frustratingly says, "Answer the question." "The question? Oh right! I do have a girlfriend! We just started going out yesterday!" he tells her enthusiastically. That was oddly specific timing on A.J.'s part, if not the Universe's. "Oh? What's her name?" she asked. "Julie! Isn't that just the cutest name?! Oh man she's the best! She has light brown hair, wears the prettiest sun dresses, even a flower in her hair! She even laughs at my jokes! I met her last week!" he gushes. "Wait, you two have known each other for one week and then started dating?!" she asked in surprise. "Yeah! I mean you can't put logic into love, right?" "I, I guess so... Wait, love? You already know you _love_ her?," A.J. couldn't believe any of this, "You didn't tell her, did you?" "Oh no I couldn't do that. Then she'd think I'm crazy!" he tells her. 'Well, at least he has _some_ moderation' she noted. "Since we're having a pleasant conversation, how about you-" "No Todd I'm too busy to check out Rush" she immediately retaliated. "Bummer. Well you gotta! By the way we still haven't talked about your special someone!" He brought up for the third time. She was about to resort to punching him again but their boss finally walked in through the entrance.

"A.J. don't punch him so hard, he still needs to lift up change for the customers" the boss tells her. "Aw c'mon pops don't be like that" Todd tries to joke, but is met with disgust from both A.J. and their boss. "Do not call me that ever again" he tells Todd now. "But pops-" "Stop it" their boss immediately cut off annoyed. "Where did you go?" A.J. asked. "Needed copies of the hiring application, so I went to the Sunset location. I'm sure we're bound to get some high schoolers who'll want to make a quick buck" the boss answered. She nodded, next asking "Can I take my break?" "Yeah go ahead" the boss responded. "WHOA wait a minute what about mine?!" Todd complained. Rolling his eyes, the boss said "You can go _after_ A.J." "I'm gonna buy three albums. Can I use my discount?" "Yeah go ahead" their boss answered A.J., then they both went to their respective destinations, leaving Todd with his jaw dropped. "Todd you'll get flies in there if you keep your mouth open" their boss says in the distance.

A.J. finds all three of the albums and takes them to the back room to store them until she gets to go home. Two cassette tapes and one vinyl. She picks up the two tapes and thinks to herself 'Tiffany is going to love these. They're really good stuff.' She puts them back down and then picks up the vinyl. On the front was four glam rockers in epic poses, pink smoke imagery surrounding them, and a skeleton in the center, plus eyes in the background. The top of the album cover was the name of it, self-titled after the group themselves, _W.A.S.P._ The store has a record player with headphones plugged into them in the back room, and she's going to make full use of it. At least for one song. She pops it in, sits on a chair and wears the headphones, pressing play. "I Wanna Be Somebody" starts playing and she is immediately jamming to the rock guitars. "Bitchin'," she vocalizes, bopping her head. But her next mistake comes when she's trying to balance on two of the four legs of the chair while jamming. She was doing a decent job of keeping that balance, until she tried joining in on the scream at the end, and, she topples backwards. 'This might not be my day' she thought, so she decided to tweak it by listening to the rest of the album.

Her break over, she heads back to the counter and tells Todd "You're turn." He gives her a thumbs up and runs off. She shakes her head and remembers that both Tina and Nick also wear denim, like Todd. "That's too weird of a coincidence" she says to herself. She takes care of some more customers, and it takes a while longer until finally Todd comes back from his break. He jogs back in, with their boss in the background yelling "Todd you're late!" Todd yells to the back of the store "LISTEN I was getting A.J. some food!" They waited, counting to five to see if there was a rebuttal. Since there wasn't, then that means that the boss approved, or at the very least there were no objections. "Did you actually get me food?" she asked Todd. "Of course I did, A.J.! Have I ever lied before?" He asked, noticed her unamused face, then continued "Okay, but I never lie about food! Or love! Especially about food." He hands her a rolled up brown paper bag, which she takes post haste, more due to curiosity. "A turkey and cheese sandwich? Why?" she asked him. "Why? 'Cause turkey is delicious!" "No, I mean why did you get me something to eat?" she urges the question. "Oh, well, whenever you buy an album or single, you always want to listen to it in the back room immediately! And you tend to forget to eat because of it, so, there you go!" Todd explained to her. She was surprised. People don't normally go to such lengths for her. Or even pay attention to her, much less her habits. "Wow, uh," she begins to thank him but was cut off. "Actually I also got you that because I knew the boss wouldn't have gotten on my ass if it was for you" he admitted. 'And there it is,' A.J. thought, 'Why am I not surprised?' Still, food is food, and she wasn't going to pass it up. "I'm gonna go wolf this down real quick" she says as she runs back to the break room.

They deal with a couple of more customers throughout the rest of the day, while it gets to be busier later and later, with their boss helping them too, though he was mostly running back and forth answering the phone on the counter and the phone in his office. After one of those calls in the office, he yells "A.J.! Come'ere!" A.J., who had just finished cashing out someone, remarks "Well, the Principal's calling me" and gets a laugh out of the customers. She walks in, and the boss tells her to close the door behind her. "What's up?" A.J. asked him. "Oh, just wanted you to know that a girl named Tiffany called. Said she's going to be running late. I only asked you to close the door so Todd wouldn't get into your business" he informed her. "Cool, thanks" she says, and goes back to the counter. "What did he say?" Todd asked. "Oh he said that I was fired" she joked. "Over my dead body!" they hear him shout in the background, and the customers get another chuckle out of it. They continue on as it starts getting to be their busiest part of the day, then it hits. 7 PM. The boss comes up to her and asks "Since she's going to be late, you wanna stay over this time and help out for a bit?" A.J. considers it for a moment, then quickly shakes her head while saying "No." She walks towards the back and says "I'm going to the roof for a bit."

Climbing up the stairs and opening the highest door, she's greeted by the sounds of "road noises" that cars make, either below or in the distance. She then spots the couch. She walks up around it and flings herself backwards onto it. "It's been a while" she tells it. She hasn't sat nor relaxed on the roof since before she flew out to New Jersey. Three months ago? She hated the way the couch was positioned though. It was practically facing _away_ from the sunset. No doubt it was the two managers that faced it so. She could unfortunately never confirm it since they had moved on to hopefully better jobs three years ago. Still on the couch, she turns around and lays her arms on the back rest of it, kneeling on top of the cushions. She takes a deep breath, enjoying one of her favorite things in the world: Dusk. She is just mesmerized by the view, the atmosphere. Like old times. But now she realizes that something is missing, and it creates a pang in her heart. Or rather some- _one_. She was so used to seeing Tiffany by now, a moment which encapsulated pure relief and happiness after getting off of work. 'That might not be the healthiest way of thinking, I'm depending on her too much' A.J. thought. She could just be too hard on herself, since these experiences are still new to her. She shakes it off, gets up, and heads to the edge of the rooftop. She takes in the wind, which blows through her hair, and she splays her arms out on the concrete railing and spies from above for a bit. Orange overhead street lights giving her the view to entertain herself, she just watches the cars motor through as she passes time. Then to her left, she spots her mazda driving towards the store from half a block away she grins and speeds back down through the stairs. She stops by the back room to pick up the albums (which were now placed in a bag) and tries to not run through the rest of the store, until she makes it to the entrance, where her girlfriend is waiting.

She opens the passenger door and jumps right in! "A.J.! I'm sorry I'm late! At work I had to-" Tiffany starts, but A.J. knew she had to dispel that apology, and the best way to do that was a hug, so she gave her a big one. She pulls them apart afterwards and assures "Don't worry about it. You at least called me, and I really appreciate that." Left speechless for a second, but recomposed herself, Tiffany saying "No problem! It would be rude otherwise, right?" "It sure would be..." A.J. remarked, reminded of a distant memory from being a kid, but that memory immediately faded as soon as Tiffany gave her a kiss. Then it looked like Tiffany remembered something. "Oh my gosh this morning! You fell! Are you okay?!" she asked worryingly. 'Wow, she's still worried about that?' A.J. thought, then followed with "Again, don't worry about it. I'm fine." "Well that's good! That makes me happy to hear that! 'Cause you're amazing!" Tiffany tells her. 'Now I remember why I wanted to look "cool" in front of her' she realized, and decided to convey why to her out loud. "I love you" she says to her. "A.J.! I love you too!" Tiffany reciprocates, now eyeing the bag, "Hey what did you get anyways?" "Oh! Well," A.J. begins, can't get a hold of her excitement, pulls all three out, "I have ' _W.A.S.P._ ', by W.A.S.P., 'Warrior' by Scandal, and 'Mirror Moves' by The Psychedelic Furs! The first one came out a week ago, but the second and third were coming out Tuesday so I decided to wait until today! So I could get them all at once!" Tiffany eyes the vinyl, but A.J. interjects "You probably wouldn't like that one. But these two!," pulling up the cassette tapes, "You'll like a lot." She stares at the two for a moment before exclaiming "Okay! Let's put in The Psychedelic Furs!" "Cool! Oh let me drive though so you can listen to it better" A.J. offered, and without getting out of the car, awkwardly tried to get into the other's seat at the same time, but was unsuccessful. A.J. then tried getting on top of Tiffany first before Tiffany could try to move over. "Oh, is this going to be the opposite of what I did yesterday?" Tiffany teased. "Ha ha, move over" A.J. dryly stated.

Now in their opposite seats, A.J. hands her girlfriend the "Mirror Moves" cassette case, Tiffany takes it, stares at it some more (appreciating the artwork maybe?), and takes out the khaki colored tape and pops it in, meanwhile A.J. moves the stick shift away from Park to drive into the city. It looked like Tiffany was immediately smitten with the first song, "The Ghost In You". She can tell that the song took a hold over Tiffany, because Tiffany was acting the same way A.J. does when being absorbed in music; Staring into the sky? Or letting the ambience kick in? It was hard to describe. Once it was over though Tiffany said in awe "That song was beautiful." Then something sparked her memory "Oh! That reminds me! When you borrowed my Walkman a few days ago. You love music as much as I do. It made me think that you would have one too." "Oh that. I actually do have one, but, uh, a couple of months ago at work someone tried to steal an album. Normally I would catch them. But because they were so far ahead towards the entrance that time, I instinctively grabbed my Walkman to throw at their head. I did hit bullseye, and that broke it hahaha... It's somewhere in the apartment" A.J. explained. "Whoa, did that stop him?" Tiffany asked. "Enough for me to catch him. I took back the album and punched him out the door. Took Todd by surprise" A.J. laughed, Tiffany joining in.

A couple of minutes later while "Heaven" plays, A.J. pipes in "Again. I'm so happy that you got hired. Seriously, congratulations." "A.J. you told me that last night! And this morning!" Tiffany pointed out. "Well I still mean it! You worked really hard for many many weeks. I'm just proud of you" she expressed. "It still feels so surreal. Thank you, love-bug" Tiffany said just as sincerely, later following with "Can we cruise around for a bit?" "Of course. We can listen to Scandal's album too afterwards." "Radical! How was your day by the way?" Tiffany asked. A.J. thought of the best thing she learned that day, and shared "I found out that I'm not good at small talk. But I accidentally cut you off earlier. How was yours? What caused you to stay over at work?" A.J. loves hearing about Tiffany's days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! I had a very good time writing this chapter! It's nice to delve more into A.J.'s work, to see what she has to deal with, and her interactions with her coworkers. She probably likes them more than she lets on. Gosh, writing the two girls together has so much sweetness, it's like I'm pouring a bag of sugar into my mouth. And if you have time, check out "Mirror Moves"! It's a fantastic album! Until next week!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"Take my hand, Alvin!" Dave shouts in the train, extending his hand out of the window as it is leaving the station. Alvin takes it, and Dave pulls him in a bit too hard, causing the both to tumble into the hallway of the train and bumping into a man with an eye patch. Tiffany laughs profusely at it. "Wait how can the guy in Alvin's Spy Manuel look exactly like the guy they bumped into?" A.J. asked her. "A coincidence?" Tiffany guesses. The two girls are watching the first episode in the second season of Alvin and The Chipmunks. A.J. was never really one for TV but Tiffany has been trying to get her into some shows. "Okay so this Alvin. How on Earth would he even get that spy outfit?" A.J. asked, chuckling as she just viewed Alvin wearing some undercover get-up; a trench coat, a fedora, and some sunglasses. Tiffany could only shrug and laugh with her. A.J. later exclaims "Aw that's actually a cute cover of 'Secret Agent Man'," while watching a chasing scene montage, The Chipmunks singing in the background. At the end of the first half A.J. makes another comment "Wow, so that eye patch guy was the person in charge of their next concert all along?" "Mhm!" Tiffany nodded. "Small world."

After some commercials, they continue watching the second half, a new segment, Alvin stating that he is in love. Alvin gives the girl he is "in love with" a small boquet of flowers, but is immediately overshadowed by a wagon of flowers given to her by a rich kid. When the girl throws away the small boquet, A.J. shouts "Wow! What a shallow bitch!" "A.J.!" "Sorry." In the cartoon Alvin accidentally wins on an auction for a yacht to impress the girl, costing him, "$40,000?! That's a good chunk of change!" A.J. exclaims. After the cartoon resolves that plot (and A.J. appreciating The Chipmunk's cover of "Uptown Girl"), A.J. could not believe the very end of the episode. "So in the end the little girl ends up moving to France. Poor boys hahaha" A.J. shakes her head. 

Tiffany was a little disappointed though. "Hey what's up?" And A.J. noticed immediately, it seemed. They let some weird new show (Kidd Video?) play in the background. 'Nothing could get past this cuddly girl' Tiffany amuses herself. She decided to fess up. "Well don't get me wrong. That was super fun! I was hoping for The Chipettes to show up. They were in the last new episode back in December! Hopefully we'll see them in the later episodes" she explained. "Chipettes?" A.J. asked. "Yeah! So like The Chipmunks, The Chipettes have three members! They're girls too! The leader is Brittany, and she's so cool! Always into the latest fashion, and she loves her sisters! I guess she'd be like Alvin a little bit. Then there's Jeanette! She's the super smart one, though she's a bit insecure. And then there's Eleanor! She's a teensy bit chubby? And a bit short? But super sweet! I love all of them a lot!" Tiffany informed her to the best of her ability. "Wow, then I'm excited to see them then. They sound pretty cute" A.J. said. "Really?! You'll continue to watch them with me?!" Tiffany asked. "Yeah I don't mind. It doesn't air too early. I just have to make sure I get enough sleep" A.J. reminded, mostly to herself of that fact. Didn't stop Tiffany from beaming though, "I love you!" "I love you too."

"While we're kind of on the subject, what animal do you see me as?" Tiffany brought up. "Animal? Uh, hmm, I would've originally said a dog, but now that they were brought to my attention, maybe a chipmunk after all?" A.J guessed. "So like The Chipettes?!" Tiffany hoped. "Well, I'll have to see them first before I could make that decision, but maybe! You're just a cute bundle of energy" A.J. admitted. Tiffany squealed and gave her a big hug. 'It's so great to be called cute by my girlfriend!' she thought. "Well I think you're a squirrel then!" she declared after they'd let go. "I don't think that's how it works..." A.J. tried saying, but Tiffany was already in her own cloud. "I wonder what Chipette you would think I'd be! Brittany maybe? Oh, speaking of, I have to introduce you to my friend Britney! She's great! I was friends with her in high school!" A.J. looked a little hesitant before she asked "Tiffany, by any chance were you popular in high school?" Tiffany had to think about it, since it was years ago, but responded with "Well, all the charismatic kids always wanted me to be with them, and EVERYONE knew who _they_ were. Even the teachers praised them? So they were pretty popular. And them dragging me to everything, since apparently I was always on top of fashion? But I guess so! I didn't really care about any of that stuff!" "I see..." A.J. said.

Tiffany felt like something was wrong. It wasn't so much the fact that A.J. was quiet. There was just this hint, albeit very very small, but a hint of pain in her eyes, even if she was looking off to the side, lost in her own thoughts. Tiffany can't have that happen! "I know! Let me call up Britney! We can all hang out today! She'll think you're cool! She'll like you! I mean after all _I_ love you!" A.J. still looked unsure, but Tiffany had to dispel that worry! She picks up the handset of their phone and pushed in the buttons, dialing a combination she knew so well, at least before Summer.

She waits a couple of seconds before someone picks up. And she recognized the voice immediately. "Hello?" they answered. "Brit!" Tiffany excitedly responded. "Tiff?!" asked the girl on the other side. "YEAH!" Tiffany answered. "Girl where have you BEEN?! I've been calling and calling all Summer! It is honestly so harsh that you haven't picked up at _all!_ " Brit complained. "I'm sorry! It's just that I was working at a camp those three months! And then I moved in with someone important to me at her apartment! So I guess that would explain why your calls weren't going through..." Tiffany sheepishly tried to reason. "You've been busy? I'm so sure" Britney said sarcastically. "No no no it's true! And it's been fun! Actually I was wondering if you wanted to meet up with A.J. and I?" Tiffany asked. "A.J.?" "Yeah! The girl I moved in with!" There was a bit of a pause, then Britney answering "Totally! Where'd you wanna meet up at?" "Radical! Let's meet up at, uh, oh! The Santa Monica Pier!" Tiffany decided. "Santa Monica Pier? I don't think that's very clutch" Britney complained again. "Brit it'll be fine!" Tiffany tried reasoning with her. There was another pause before Britney said "Okay, I'll be there at 5 PM. I'll have to get ready." "Great! Meet me at the Pepsi sign that's right next to the Shooting Gallery!" Tiffany said, the both hanging up right after.

"Santa Monica?" A.J. restated, having gotten up and sat onto the sofa armrest during the phone call. "Yeah! We're gonna meet up with her in six hours! You two can meet! And it'll be great!" Tiffany said. A.J. nods at the confirmation, so Tiffany decides to run up and tackle her onto the cushions. Hovering over her, Tiffany exclaims again "I love you!" A.J., laying on the sofa, chuckles defeatedly, "I love you too, Tiffany."

After a twenty-five minute drive to the pier, it was relatively easy for A.J. to have found parking, since it was September. They make their way out to the meeting spot, and stood underneath the Pepsi sign. They waited for a few minutes, enough for A.J. to start leaning against the wall, until they see a red car driving up. The closer it got, the easier it was to see that it was a Nissan 200SX. Her dad being a car dealer helps her spot these kinds of things! Had to be from this year too! It looked so brand spankin' new! And when Tiffany squinted to see who was driving it, she realized that it was none other than Britney! Britney parks and gets out of her (really nice!) car, and almost speed-walks up to Tiffany. She looked almost as excited as Tiffany was. And that fashion! Black bodysuit, high-waisted white jeans, gorgeous huge chunky necklace complimented by other small necklaces, multiple bracelets, and a corset?! Her mullet was still the same, permed to almost look like a lion's mane. 'Gosh her fashion is always on point! So choice!' she thought to herself. "Well well well I see that someone still looks the same" Britney commented. Tiffany does a quick pose to show off of what she considers her usual outfit; her favorite pink top, denim short shorts, and white shoes hiding her no-show socks. "Why fix something that isn't broken?" she remarked back. "Tiff!" Britney vocalized. "Brit!" Tiffany exclaimed, and they gave each other a quick hug.

"Oh hey let me introduce you!," Tiffany says to Britney as she grabs A.J.'s wrist to bring her forward, "This is A.J.! Who I moved in with! She's super important to me!" Britney examined A.J. before greeting "Hey, I'm Brit. Wow, so, you're a goth?" A.J. looked a bit surprised by that accusation, before correcting "No, I'm not goth. I just dress the way that I like to dress." Tiffany adds "Yeah she's super into rock and metal bands too!" to try to clear any confusion for Britney. She also flashed a quick smile to A.J. to hopefully convey that her explanation was the best way for Britney to understand. Tiffany getting a smile back meant that the feeling was understood. "Oh okay!" Britney said. They decide to walk around and through the pier as the two catch up (and Tiffany trying to bring A.J. into the conversation as much as possible!)

They talked about many things, ranging from family to friends (or rather Brit's friends, who Tiffany didn't care too much about as they were all still those "popular kids" from their high school days), and their various new music interests. Tiffany talked a little bit about her camp experiences. Actually, just a small portion of it, since Britney kept derailing it just to have her own questions answered. "So why didn't you get to finish that grody camp?" she asked. Tiffany hesitated, and tried to think up a quick explanation. But she wasn't fast enough, since A.J. answered "Oh it was because a killer was after us." Tiffany snapped a look right at A.J. in complete shock. Brit however answered unexpectedly. Mostly drawing in some weird conclusion, said "Gnarly. Parents, right? A bummer. My parents have been nagging me too lately." Tiffany looks at A.J., A.J. merely shrugs. 'Did Brit just assume that killer meant parents?' Tiffany thought. "Oh yeah how big is your music collection, A.J.? 'Cause I'll even admit that Tiffany has a decent size" Britney prompted to A.J. "I'd say it's about the same size, I'm more of a record person compared to Tiffany here, who likes her cassettes. We did end up with some duplicates because of it" A.J. answered, Tiffany adding "Yeah, like we both have the ' _Thriller_ ' album on vinyl!" "' _Thriller_ '? Michael Jackson? But isn't he..." Britney began, but shook her head. For some reason Tiffany didn't like the tone of how Britney said that, she thought it sounded weird, but they continued on with their conversations as they almost circled towards the parking lot.

"Y'know Tiff, I never see you go out of your way to try to talk to anybody from the group. In fact, you don't talk to anybody from high school, don't you? Aside from me of course" Britney pointed out. "I talk to Debbie now!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Debbie? You keep mentioning this 'Debbie' from camp" Britney inquired. "She means Deborah. I assume you all went to high school together?" A.J. asked. "Wait... Deborah _Kim?_ The Asian _nerd?_ " Britney asked incredulously. "Yeah! She's great! We're best friends!" Tiffany happily said. "Hold on, she's your _best friend_ now? Her? Of all people? Why?!" Britney almost demanding an answer at this point. Tiffany didn't know why she was so upset. "Because she's nice to me? And we click pretty well together? We just get along! I don't think you really need a reason for that if they're a good person. Like she even gave me books to help me study to become a mechanic!" Tiffany stated. But that only made Britney look even more confused now. "A mechanic?! A girl like you? Please, now you're just pulling my leg" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "But I am! For over two weeks now!" Tiffany tried reasoning. "I do not believe that someone who cares about fashion would want to be a grease monkey. Let alone saying that Deborah Kim of all people is your 'best friend'. Like why not A.J.?! You two are roommates! A head banger is _much_ better than a nerd" Britney said, her arms crossed now. "Because A.J. is my girlfriend! Though I guess she would also count as a best friend _above_ Debbie if we wanted to be technical..." Tiffany pondered. "What? You're now going to say that you two right here are dating?" Britney asked sarcastically. "But we are!" Tiffany said. "Say. Psych. Say it" Britney demanded. "Why would I?! A.J. and I are dating! For months now!" Tiffany expressed. "Tiffany you are NOT gay!" Britney shouted. "What's your damage?!" Tiffany shouted back. "I can't believe this" Britney says to herself as she storms towards her car. Tiffany follows and tries to stop Britney, grabbing ahold of her arm. "Do NOT touch me," Britney sternly stated as she turned around, shoving away Tiffany's hand, "You disgust me. BOTH of you. I can't believe I brought you into our circle of friends. I can't believe I WAS your friend! Don't talk to them ever again." "I don't even talk to them. They're boring..." Tiffany says under her breath. "And don't talk to ME ever again either!" Britney shouted after she got into her car. She reverses out of her parking spot and then speeds away.

A.J., who had silently watched the whole thing, walks up to Tiffany and touches her shoulder. "Hey are you ok?" A.J. asked. Tiffany turns to her girlfriend and asks "What even was that? Did I do something wrong? Are _we_ doing something wrong?" A.J. takes both of Tiffanys hands with her own and says "No, you didn't. And no, we're not. Some people just can't accept things that are 'different' than what they are used to, even though it's not really different at all." Tiffany nods. "I love you. I want you to know that" she affirms to her. "I love you too," A.J. returns the affection. "By the way, 'a killer was after us'?!" Tiffany asked, referring to earlier. "I'm sorry, I was checking if she was actually paying attention or not," A.J. said, then sighs "Although, that honestly did escalate rather fast." "The whole thing caught me off guard. I must've just been so oblivious for so many years because she and I only talked about literally everything else except ourselves... I'm surprised you didn't punch her" Tiffany said. "Well, I honestly did want to, believe me. But I just think that would've made the situation worse, for the both of us" A.J. explained. Tiffany was a teensy bit surprised by this. "Thank you for that. A.J., you're always so smart" she said. A small tinge of pink appeared on A.J.'s cheeks, blushing from that compliment. "I'm not, but thank you." 'I love how bashful she can get' Tiffany happily thought to herself, and brought in her smaller girlfriend for a hug.

Tiffany sighs as they walk, "I was hoping for her to like you, but in the end it turned out she didn't like neither of us." "I guess she's still caught up in that high school glory" A.J. comments, and she stops in her tracks. She eyes the sands in the distance, then turns back to Tiffany and suggests "... You wanna walk alongside the beach for a bit? Since we're here anyways." Tiffany looks at her, thinking how good she still has it, smiles and says "Yeah! Let me leave my shoes in the car though. I don't wanna get them dirty!" "Gotcha. I'll go with you" A.J. said. They reach the mazda and open the passenger door. Tiffany kicks off her, well, kicks, along with her socks, and realizes her surroundings. They're at the parking lot. "C'mon, get on my back and I'll carry you to the beach" A.J. said, completely reading Tiffany's mind. Tiffany beams even brighter. "Okay!" On their way to the beach Tiffany commented "You're so strong!" A.J. counters by saying "Well I'm not that strong. You're just super light." Tiffany just holds onto her even tighter. 'I mean sure, I could just walk with her, and my feet would get a little dirty. But then I can't hug her like this!' she thought to herself. Plus, A.J. did offer! They hit the beach and Tiffany gets off, feeling the sands between her toes. She takes A.J.'s hand, and they walk alongside the waves where it isn't wet. With this, and it being evening (their favorite time of day), it was just a great advantage of living in this kind of city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week! Hi everyone! When I finished this chapter, I just realized that what they watched on TV earlier that day reflected what Tiffany just went through hours later. People aren't always what you believe them to be? In any case, homophobic people are bad, and you shouldn't associate with them. Tiffany will be okay though! She has A.J.! Two of the sweetest of sweets. Next week we'll visit two girls from The Game, one who is already in the movies! I'm sure you can guess who one of them is. Stay safe!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

It was a nice enough day. Sunny, practically no clouds in sight, just a clear, beautiful light blue sky. An almost comfortable temperature too. A.J. had already dropped off Tiffany at Deborah's house and was on her way to Vanessa's apartment. For some reason she felt like she needed to check up on Vanessa, since she hasn't seen her since they were all at the hospital. Though it just might be guilt, never going out of her way to visit anybody. But wouldn't it be better to wait until they've all settled into their lives again? 'It's official, I'm awful at this' she thought to herself. She really wanted to ask Tiffany to come with her, and Tiffany REALLY wanted to, since she hasn't seen Vanessa in two months either. But after that situation with that Britney, Tiffany just _had_ to tell Deborah about it, which makes sense. They both graduated from the same school. 'It would've been nice if I even went to the same school as any of them...' She thinks to herself, referring to the former counselors. Though she thinks that's also a bad thought process, so she scraps it from her head.

Baldwin Hills, where Vanessa resides, was pretty close to Mid-City. She called first, unlike _Victoria_ , if she could come over. Once that was squared away she then, called again, for directions, since she forgot to ask for them on their previous conversation. Nevertheless, she parked, got out, and carried on through the entrance and winding her way through the first floor until she made it to the door numbered '114'. 'Here we go,' she thinks to herself. She lifts her right hand, which is shaking a little bit, curls it into a fist to stop it, and knocks five times. She hears some rustling followed by quick footsteps on the other side before the door swings wide open! And the person who opened it was, not Vanessa, but Fox?! "Fox?!" A.J. vocalized.

"A.J. Mason!" Fox exclaimed, adding more enunciation to the first two letters of her name. Fox immediately roped A.J. into a hug, afterwards saying "C'mon, c'mon! Come on in!" And A.J. was ushered right into the apartment. It was a cute layout, she had to admit. As soon as she entered, the kitchen was to her left, though it was mostly blended into the living room, which was to the center and right side of the apartment. There was a hallway centered past the living room, which she could assume the doors on it led to a bedroom and bathroom. She couldn't get too good of a look at the hallway due to Fox. "Hold on let me get a good look at you" Fox said, staring up and down at her. A.J. didn't like this, but she also took the time to notice Fox's get-up. Fox was still wearing her black leather pants and red shirt, plus the chain necklace, but was missing her bandana around her neck, the rolled up one normally tied around her forehead, and the leather jacket. "Very interesting..." Fox finally said. "What? What's up?" A.J. asked. "Nothing. Nothing at all" Fox said, but the glint in her eye said otherwise. "Fox why are you here anyways? I thought this was Vanessa's apartment" A.J. said, still a bit confused. Fox looked away, then looked back at her with the glint in her eye again. "Huh. Why am I here? Why am I here?" Fox reiterated.

A.J. felt beyond clueless until the person she was actually expecting to open the front door appeared. "Because you 'insisted' that you stay at my place" Vanessa said, coming out of the bathroom. She was wearing her traditional baby blue-colored sweatpants, except deciding to wear a plain white t-shirt instead of the jacket. "A.J., How are you-" Vanessa was about to greet, until she was pulled back by Fox. Leaning over Vanessa's shoulder, Fox asks her, "Hey, do you see what I'm seeing?" Vanessa gives Fox a quick glance before also examining A.J. Vanessa tilts her head a bit, then slowly nods as she affirms with an "Ah." "WHAT?" A.J. asks. She absolutely hates it when anybody stares at her. "You're glowing" Fox finally said. "Yup. You're way happier now than when you were at camp" Vanessa added. A.J. didn't really get it though. "How can you tell that when I'm not even smiling?" she asked. "Nevermind, girl. Although," Vanessa says, directing the conversation to Fox, "It probably has to do with Tiffany." That idea probably flashed a light bulb in Fox's head, since she said "RIGHT, right," then asking A.J., "'Cause y'all moved in together, right?" "We did... Wait, who told you?" "Kenny" both Fox and Vanessa answered simultaneously. A.J. shakes her head and concludes that 'Kenny will have to pay now.'

"I'm still confused as to why Fox is here though. I thought you lived at Crystal Lake" A.J. said, referring to the town and not the lake itself. "Oh, that. So, after that whole thing two months ago, Kenny kinda opened up the idea of her and Shelly to move to L.A., so they can be close to us, and away from, over there. So Shelly and his girlfriend are crashing at Kenny's place until they can find a place to live" Vanessa explained. "See I _could've_ stayed with Kenny, Shelly and Vera, but Jenny is _also_ crashing with them. That place would've been _way_ too cramped, so I asked Vanessa! It would've been more fun with Vanessa anyways!" Fox added, giving a proud pat on Vanessa's shoulder. A.J. was pretty happy that Jenny is FINALLY in L.A., but a small detail caught her attention. "Wait, Jenny is crashing with Kenny too?" she asked Fox. "Yeah, from what Shelly and Vera had told me. AND, get this. So Vera has been sleeping on the couch, with Shelly next to her on the floor. THEY said that JENNY is sleeping in Kenny's bed. With him" Fox said. "Wait, so they're dating" A.J. assumed. "Nope" Vanessa piped in. " _What?_ " A.J. was quite surprised by her guess being shut down, with Fox agreeing with " _Exactly_."

Before they could continue, Vanessa offered the three to at least sit down, Vanessa and Fox sit on the couch as A.J. decided to sit on the coffee table; she needed to be as close as possible to hear about this. She even hunched over a bit for optimal hearing. It did catch her a teensy bit off guard that she was invested in this. "Now Jenny is usually only about getting things done, in a business sense. But the way she's been spacing out, actually reminded me of both you and Tiffany before you two started dating" Vanessa started, A.J. nodding so they could continue the conversation. "There's a problem though, and you've proved it to me. Jenny hasn't brought this up to me, and I would've thought she would at the very least bring it up with you too, since you and Tiffany are the only people that started dating while at camp. Since you've never been approached, that might mean that she's bottling up her feelings. Or this is all nonsense speculation on my part, in which case I'm sorry" Vanessa stated. "No but your hunch has to be right! Because as soon as you told me, it all made sense" Fox chimed in. "If she does like him, I hope she asks him out soon..." A.J. vocalizes, the other two girls nodding in agreement.

The conversation did remind A.J. of something, and proceeded to ask about it. "Speaking of interests, back during camp I couldn't help but notice that Buggzy kept staring at you quite a bit. By any chance do you two have a thing...?" "Why does it have to be Buggzy and I to have to have a thing? Is it because we're black?" Vanessa asked, in a really serious tone. "Wait Vanessa no I-" A.J. started saying, she never even meant it that way at all, but Vanessa jumps right in by jesting "I'm kidding I'm kidding. I'm sorry A.J. I just had to tease you a bit." "Too far, Vanessa. Too far..." Fox says, shaking her head in exaggeration and sighing. Vanessa slaps Fox's leg and says "Girl, hush. Now, about Brandon, he's cute, I'll give him that. But if he wants to date me, he's going to have to grow up a bit." "And doesn't he still wear his high school varsity jacket?" Fox asked. "Well that is a little concerning, but he mostly wears it because he gets cold easily" Vanessa answered. "So if it isn't the varsity jacket thing, what else do you mean when you said he still needs to grow up? Isn't that a bit harsh?" A.J. asked. "No, listen. Back at camp I overheard him talking to Adam as they were going to borrow Shelly's car once, and he said, and I quote, 'Man just hurry up! I don't wanna miss the hot chicks at the party!' Now don't get me wrong, I like partying and having fun as the next guy or girl, but he has been at EVERY single party at UCLA. And I don't wanna just be the next 'fling' before he moves on to the next one. But enough about that. Why don't we catch up with you?" Vanessa explains, then suggests to A.J.

"Me?" A.J. asked. As silly as it sounded, she didn't really want to talk about herself at all. She's not good at it. She only likes doing that with Tiffany. "I'm, doing fine" she tells them. "It's just, Chad came by a while ago. He was also affected mentally by that night, just like Victoria. I had to drag it out of him that he was worried about not only Victoria, but also both you and Tiffany. And she told him that she wasn't convinced with how you answered. About how you were handling of what happened that night. So, I really need to ask, are you doing okay?" Vanessa asked. "I'm fine." She's not fine. "I've been thinking about it sometimes to cope" She doesn't like to think about it even a little, or else she'll be reminded she almost lost _her_. "I just have to stay strong." Is she even strong? Is she strong enough to be _her_ rock? "I, see. Sorry if it looked like I was interrogating you! That's good! That's good" Vanessa said. A.J. realizes she's looking off to the side, so she shakes herself out of her thoughts and looks back at the two girls again.

"Well, how's Tiffany?" Fox asked. Her mood feeling like it was brightened, A.J. said "Oh she's doing wonderful! It might sound weird, but we've been mostly doing lots of things together? Though we usually end up just hanging out at the apartment, or cruising around. She's a car mechanic now!" "Wait," Vanessa said. "She's a car MECHANIC?" Fox asked, even more stunned than Vanessa. "Yeah it was a little crazy. Thanks to Debbi-Deborah, she was able to study the hell out of the books that were lent to her for weeks and weeks! Then there was this old man that owns a workshop and he refused to hire her. She was so fed up with being refused by other places that she also refused, in that she wouldn't leave. She showed up every day the workshop was open. He eventually caved in and asked her for help, then caved in again and finally hired her! Gosh it's like she always finds a way to surprise me" A.J. perked up. "Well I'll say. Didn't think she'd be a car mechanic of all things" Fox commented. "She's always trying her best, it's really admirable" Vanessa complimented. "Though she just lost a friend yesterday so she's a bit bummed right now" A.J. added. "Oh shit, how did the friend die?" Fox presumed. "Oh no not like that. The friend broke off their friendship. Turns out she was homophobic. And maybe even racist? I don't know" A.J. sighed. "God, are you two okay?" Vanessa asked. "Yeah, I mean, I'm, used to that in my life I guess. But Tiffany isn't. This might be her first exposure to it, aside from Chad and Victoria. But that's Chad and Victoria, they don't count" A.J. said, continuing with "She's with Deborah right now explaining. They all went to school together." "Damn it A.J. you should've called me! We could've taken that girl together!" Fox said, pounding her fist in her hand. "Fox no. I'm not having you get into any fights while you're living with me" Vanessa warned. "Besides, if I wanted to, I could've taken her all on my own. But that would've made the situation worse, so it was best to just let that crazy girl go" A.J. explained.

"Hey," A.J. directing it to Fox, "I saw a motorcycle outside. Is that yours?" Now leaning back and grinning at the prospect of what she would call "her beauty", Fox said "Oh you saw her? I had her given a fresh new paint job right before I started my drive to L.A." "How did you even get your stuff moved over here? There's no way you had any room on that bike" A.J. pointed out. "I asked Shelly and Vera if they could take my stuff with theirs, they were okay with it. Kind of" Fox said. "Kind of?" "Well, Vera was freaking out because there was already little room for their stuff in Shelly's car. But I made it work!" Fox assured them, "Which let me take my time driving through the country. Oh, let me tell you about that!"

Fox shared stories, ranging from the beautiful landscapes to the places she visited, even taking a very brief vacation in Chicago. Vanessa then talked about school for a bit, since she just started her new semester. They dive into music next, A.J. finding out that Fox is also into W.A.S.P.! With all of these conversations happening A.J. didn't realize what time it was until that yellow glare from the Sun peaked through Vanessa's windows. "Sorry, I'm gonna have to go. I gotta pick Tiffany back up from Deborah's place. 'Make sure to pick me up before the Sun goes down!' is what she told me before I dropped her off" A.J. chuckled. "Well I'll be, I didn't know 'The Rocker Chick' could laugh!" Fox wised up. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a robot. So excuse me, MA'AM" A.J. remarked, remembering the times Fox would try to lecture the former counselors on manners. "Hey hold on now, I'm not sure I appreciate the tone you used for 'ma'am'" Fox frowned. "In any case, thank you for visiting, girl. It's good to see that you're doing okay!" Vanessa expressed. "You better bring Tiffany next time" Fox exclaims. A.J. nods, and they give her a hug.

As she makes it to the apartment door and opens it, she waves a goodbye to them. But right before she closes it behind her, Vanessa says "Oh! A.J.! Um, I've noticed that you usually like to think. And there's nothing wrong with that. Just, don't bottle stuff up and tear yourself apart. Now you don't have to talk to me, about stuff. I'm not sure if you do that with Tiffany. I just want you to talk to at least someone if you need to vent." A.J. looks down, and ponders on it. She didn't know how to feel about the advice. She then closes the door and heads on her way to her car.

After making it to Deborah's street, it felt like the radio was having a small Hall and Oates jam session, since it played "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid" and "Possession Obsession" starting one after the other one. She slows to a stop and parks right in front of the two-story house. She relaxes in her seat and enjoys staring at the sky as the latter of the Hall and Oates song plays. Her hand taps her leg to the beat of the song while waiting. Tiffany comes out soon after, Deborah not far behind. A.J. pushes the button to make the passenger window go down, though she didn't really need to do that since she can hear Tiffany calling out her name already, even with the window and music up beforehand. "A.J.!" Tiffany calls again. A.J. waves to her, and to Deborah as well, Deborah returning the wave and smiling. "Vanessa and Fox wanted me to tell you two that they said hello!" A.J. shouts from her seat. "Vanessa AND Fox?!" Tiffany asks in excitement, once the two girls make it to the car. "Thank you, I'll be sure to call them later tonight" Deborah says. "Do you want me to give you their number right now?" A.J. offers. "No it's okay, I'll ask Kenny for it later" Deborah says. "Debbie it was good seeing you!" Tiffany said. "It was nice seeing you as well" Debbie reciprocated, giving a goodbye hug before waving a goodbye to A.J. and heading back in the house.

Tiffany opens the passenger seat and jumps right onto A.J. and giving her a big hug! "I missed you!" Tiffany said, adding in the kiss. "I missed you too" A.J. said to her. "So, is us spending time together during sunsets and dusk our thing? Since you did ask me to pick you up before then" she continued. "Um OF COURSE! It's our favorite times of days! And what better way to spend it with the one you love?" Tiffany proposes. "I love you Tiffany" A.J. said. "I love you too A.J.!" Tiffany reciprocates, giving her another hug. A.J. sneaks in one more kiss, and then they head off back onto the road. "Hey let's listen to The Psychedelic Furs again!" Tiffany suggests. "Again? Man you sure love that album" "It's so good! It's a really good album!" Tiffany urged, so she grabs the case from the glove compartment and pops in the cassette tape. "Oh man get this. Guess who's crashing on Kenny's bed?" A.J. starts off. Tiffany gasps and asks "Oh my gosh who?!" Turns out both girls gossiped to their friends today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's nice to see A.J. going out of her way to see others for a change. She may not notice it herself, but she IS trying to get over that night. Subconsciously. And yes, you read that right, Shelly is dating VERA! From Part 3 of the movies! They would work really well/are super cute together, but we can get into their's AND Fox's survival of that, Sunday the 15th? Another time. Shelly deserves the best. They all do, really. Vanessa is great. Next week is MTV's 1st Annual VMAs, so stay tuned! Take care!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"C'mon A.J.! It's about to start!" Tiffany exclaimed to her girlfriend. Today is the day that MTV has their very first Video Music Awards! And of course she had to catch it! She's been watching that channel since it first launched! She always enjoyed watching the music videos of songs that she loved, or popular hits, and once she moved in, even A.J. started liking them a lot. They had pizza already laying on the coffee table and A.J. was getting them drinks. "I'm coming I'm coming" A.J. said from the fridge, and rushed over to the sofa, and jumped over it to join her! "A.J. wait!" Tiffany started to say, but it was too late. A.J. had just popped off the tab, and the Dr Pepper started exploding out of its can! But A.J. was already instinctively sipping up the soda as fast as she could before it could spill onto the ground. "Did you do that on purpose?" Tiffany asked. "Huh? Oh no. I just forget that I'm shaking the can until it's too late. I've done that so many times that I've kinda already developed a skill? To sip it all up or whatever" A.J. explained to her. Tiffany could only giggle, until the showing finally starts! "It started!" she excitingly stated.

Their eyes glued to the tube, the show begins with the main VJ, donning her mushroom mullet, was dialing on an indoor rotary payphone for assistance. "ZZ Top is refusing to perform unless I get backstage and say hello. It's pretty unbelievable, but that's showbiz and the show must go on; the show won't go on unless I hustle over right now!" the girl states. "Who's that?" A.J. asked. "That's Martha Quinn! She's MTV's VJ! She's so adorable. She was also in a McDonald's chicken nuggets commercial" Tiffany explained. "Ah okay" A.J. said. Next shown though was a promo? A disc shows up and a laser shoots right at it and bounces off! "... And now MTV will take you beyond the frontier of modern laser technology with MTV's Compact Disc giveaway! Over $100,000 worth of up-to-the-minute Compact Disc equipment. This sound is better than you'll hear on an average record or tick..." A lot of clips involving lasers were edited together to really sell the product. And it's working. As soon as the words "MTV's Compact Disc giveaway" was uttered by the promoter, A.J. scrambled out of the sofa to grab what seems to be a piece of paper and a pencil. "Holy crap AND one hundred compact discs?!" A.J. uttered. As soon as the address to send the postcard came up, A.J. wasted no time in writing it down as fast as she physically could. Once she was out of her train of thought A.J. said "Sorry, I really want that." Tiffany thought it was cute how frantic A.J. was. Giggling, she said "It's fine! Don't worry about it!"

They watch a montage of the famous people explaining the VMA's, Tiffany excited to see Belinda and Kathy of The Go-Go's. A couple of minutes more until FINALLY they get to the actual show! Two people dressed up as silver astronauts, rising to the stage from underneath! Neat! With a giant "MTV" logo hurling up in the same fashion behind the astronauts. "You are about to embark on an event of galactic proportions!" one of says, the other cutting him off by saying "Oh, shut _up!_ " and taking off the helmet revealing a woman! and the guy soon afterwards. "Oh it's Bette Midler. And Dan Aykroyd. Dan is in that Ghostbusters movie you've been wanting to watch" A.J. said. "The movie we _still_ haven't seen" Tiffany pointed out. "We'll watch it! We'll watch it" A.J. assured her, grabbing a slice of pizza. A banter between the two hosts occur, which the two girls find funny. Bette wanting to show off her body and Dan isn't having it, saying "Please! Have some dignity and decorum!" Dan then introduces a performance, led by none other by Rod Stewert, playing "Infatuation"! Rod, in his blue suit, is just killing it, singing and moving in sporadic movements! It then goes back to Bette and Dan doing more of their banters.

Then it was time for the "rules," which were read by..."CYNDI LAUPER!" both girls shouted in delight. "She looks so pretty" A.J. expressed. "She does! That silver eyeshadow! God, only she could pull that off!" Tiffany agreed. Cyndi, with her dyed red hair, was tied to the side, kept that way by a tiara. Gorgeous earrings and necklace to compliment her eyeshadow, lipstick to match her hair. However, they could not understand almost a single thing she was saying. Like she created a new language, mixed in with a few English words. Probably a bit. Afterwards Bette introduces Roger Daltrey, who's gonna present "Best Overall Performance in a Video"! The two girls finally got a good look at the podium for the presenters, which is made up entirely of TV screens. The main screen turns purple, with the multiple astronauts patterned all over it. A silver glove of an astronaut hovers over the purple screen and tears off a portion of it, leaving a space for the music videos of potential winners. Nominations are David Bowie's "China Girl", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", The Police's "Every Breath You Take", and Van Halen's "Jump". "And the winner is," Roger says, but stops as everyone hears a guitar being played, audience laughs while he says "Excuse me." He goes backstage, comes back with a guitar, tunes it, then smashes it on the stage! "I've always wanted to do that," he jokes, "And the winner is, Michael Jackson!" he announced and screaming is heard _immediately_. Tiffany almost screamed with them! "He definitely deserves that one" A.J. says with Tiffany clapping. Though it looked like Michael couldn't make it, so Diana Ross ran up stage to accept it for him!

Jefferson Starship shows up next to talk about what it takes to be in a music video, then Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas showing up to be the next presenters, this time for "Best New Artist in a Video"! Madonna with her "Borderline", Wang Chung's "Dance Hall Days", Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", and not one, but TWO nominations for Cyndi Lauper! "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is great, but the fact that "Time After Time" was being nominated had A.J. getting super excited. 'If she wasn't all in before, she is now!' Tiffany thought. Eurythmics won that one, but A.J. said "That's a fantastic song, can't really be mad about that one." "Madonna or Cyndi _have_ to win an award" Tiffany assures.

After Dan tries his best using a British accent for some weird reason, Ron Wood from The Rolling Stones shows up in his red tux to present "Best Stage Performance in a Video". Van's "Jump" is nominated again, followed by David Bowie's "Modern Love", The Pretender's "Middle of the Road", our host Bette's "Beast of Burden", and... Duran Duran's "The Reflex"?! Tiffany _SCREAMED_ when she heard that nomination. "I'm sorry I'm sorry!" she tried explaining/apologizing, but A.J. laughed "It's alright." A lady mime shows up to hand Ron the envelope, and he announces that... Van Halen won. "Shit.." was all Tiffany could say, with her girlfriend patting her leg for support.

Dan continues his voice impressions, this time Tom Snyder? He introduces the second performance of the night, and it's Madonna! She performs "Like a Virgin". Both girls wide-eyed, Tiffany says "Wow, that was something I did not expect at all." "Yeah... Well, she definitely has my respect now. I may have to check out more of her music in the future. She has a cute voice too" A.J. added. A small video about video-making is shown, followed by Bette and Dan bantering again, this time about confidence. Which then leads them introducing the next presenters, Daryl Hall and John Oates! As soon as they stroll up to the podium, Tiffany accidentally slaps A.J.'s arm whilst saying "Holy shit! Hall and Oates!" A.J. lightly slaps Tiffany's leg back and they play fight for a quick sec out of giddiness. Hall wearing an unbuttoned leopard-patterned suit jacket and Oates wearing a leather jacket, they talk a bit about the professionals behind-the-scenes on music videos before the get right onto "Best Art Direction in a Video", winner being Herbie Hancock's "Rockit". Winner for "Best Cinematography in a Video" winner is The Police's "Every Breath You Take". "Best Special Effects in a Video" winner was Herbie's "Rockit" again, who ALSO won "Best Editing in a Video"! The winners stood up for those four speedy rounds.

Peter Wolf dances with a ballerina momentarily, then runs up to the podium next, saying smooth words as he presents "Best Choreography in a Video". Nominees for this one being Toni Basil's "Over My Head", Michael's "Thriller", Elton John's "I'm Still Standing", Bette with her "Beast of Burden", and Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money", which Tiffany liked a lot. The ballerina returns and dances up to Peter to hand him the envelope, and is about to leave until he asks her to stay, handing her lovely flowers! Her name revealed as Cynthia Gregory! "She's a really pretty dancer!" Tiffany complimented. "Mhm" A.J. agreed. Cynthia announces that Michael Jackson won, and Diana Ross joins the choreographer Michael Peters to accept it on his behalf! Michael Peters was even nice enough to list the names of the dancers that were in the music video!

A special-effects montage now happens, and Tiffany is a little impressed with it. Very weird though. Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons appears, and she is so CLUTCH. 'Hot pink hair, hot pink sequin suit jacket with a light pink sequin dress underneath? Oh I could just DREAM to look that good!' Tiffany thinks to herself. Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" wins yet another one, as Dale presents the "Most Experimental Video" award to him! Third performance of the night Huey Lewis and the News' "I Want a New Drug". "Hey this is a pretty fun song!" Tiffany told A.J., grabbing a slice of pizza. "Yeah, I've heard it a couple of times before. I've never minded when it played at the store" A.J. said. Bette and Dan start reading out what totally sounds like fake categories, probably just poking fun at the more popular videos of the year.

Then it cuts to Martha Quinn! "Aw she's so pretty!" Tiffany exclaimed. Martha is wearing a white dress, with drop dangle earrings. From backstage Martha, with her microphone, introduces Ric Ocasek, who "Revs 'The Cars'." Ric, wearing an oversized black suit jacket, yellow tie, and black shades, enters the stage. "Hey those are nice shades" A.J. points out. "We should get some!" she suggests to A.J. "Yeah we could" her shorter girlfriend says. Tiffany nods approvingly. After making a joke about what insect he had to slap his face on for a certain video, he goes on with the nominees for "Best Group Video", being Huey Lewis and the News' "The Heart of Rock N'Roll", The Police's "Every Breath You Take" again, Van's "Jump", and ZZ Top with their "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man". A pizza man(?) hands Ric the winner envelope, which tells them that ZZ Top's "Legs" won, but they couldn't make it, the director of their video accepting it for them. "A.J. do you like ZZ Top?" Tiffany asked. "Hmmmm I don't think I've gotten into them yet, but I could check 'em out. I think they're from Texas" A.J. replied. Tiffany was shocked by that revelation, thinking 'A rock band that _she_ doesn't know about? Wow.'

One of the cameramen snuck up on Bette as she was in a dressing room, she introduces Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones before shooing the cameraman out, and we transition to Mick, who talks about when music videos started. Mick then introduces The Police, who'll present the Video Vanguard awards. One of the winners is The Beatles, naturally. Dan appears and introduces Herbie who awards the second Video Vanguard to David Bowie! "Yay David Bowie got one! But why would they have two different people present the same award?" Tiffany asked. A.J. merely shrugs, Herbie finishes by thanking the "Video Vanguard Class of '84," so hopefully there'll be more to come in the future! Another VJ, with beautiful curly hair wearing a suit without a tie, comes up to John Cougar in the audience and Tiffany says "Oh that's Mark Goodman! He's another VJ for MTV!" to A.J. A.J. herself nods.

David Bowie the man himself, streams from London and performs "Blue Jean"! And it's still so good no matter where he performs! "We need to see him live in concert" A.J. brought up. "DEFINITELY" Tiffany said. Dan is by himself and he gushes about the next presenter who directed his two favorite movies, "The Blues Brothers" and "Trading Places", John Landis. "FUCK John Landis!" A.J. shouted. But before A.J. could even begin to state why she hated him so much, a cameraman quickly shows a shot of Cyndi Lauper clapping for the guy, both Tiffany and A.J. exclaiming "Cyndi!" Cyndi really is adorable. That had automatically put A.J. in a good mood again. The two girls start settling into the sofa, holding hands, leaning back and kicking their feet onto the coffee table, since they finished the pizza. This category is "Best Direction in a Video", nominees being The Bongo's "Numbers with Wings", Ian Hunter's "All of the Good Ones Are Taken", Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself", which A.J. seems to have approved since she was nodding. Then "Time After Time" was nominated again, and A.J. shot straight back up. Tiffany could've sworn she heard a small gasp when A.J. saw it. Last nominees were Huey Lewis and the News' "I Want a New Drug", The Police's "Every Breath You Take", and ZZ Top's "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man". Winner was ZZ Top's second nomination, and A.J. punched the sofa cushion when that was announced. Realizing what she did, she glanced at Tiffany and said "Oh, sorry." "It's okay! C'mon, lay back with me again" she tells her.

Ron Wood returns to the podium, this time with Rod Stewart! Apparently Rod invited Ron because they haven't been on the same stage since '75! Crazy. The two talk about Quincy Jones' legacy, all the while lowering themselves more and more to hide behind the podium. The audience ate it up. The "Special Recognition Award" is then awarded to Quincy Jones, A.J. notices something weird. The ironing board. "Hold up. Ron brought in that ironing board, and now Rod is hugging it. What...?" Tiffany laughed at A.J.'s confusion. Quincy Jones gives a very nice and heartfelt speech, and dedicates his award to Count Basie, who had just passed away earlier this year.

Dan is back again, and this time he introduces Fee Waybill from The Tubes! "Oh shit Fee Waybill? Nice" A.J. commended. Tiffany liked this Fee Waybill's voice. He seemed very well-spoken. And talks about a weird comparison between concept and idea, a headway into the nominees for "Best Concept Video". The Car's "You Might Think", Herbie's classic, Michael's "Thriller", CYNDI LAUPER's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", and The Rolling Stones' "Undercover of the Night". Despite the two girls crossing their fingers and shaking their hands in some weird prayer, it didn't work. Herbie won, but rightfully so! Tiffany remembers when she first saw that music video late at night one time she felt a little unsettled. Bette returns in a gorgeous orange dress with sick shoulderpads, and her hair tied up in a cute orange flashy wrap to boot! And she summons the next performance, which the audience goes absolutely nuts for, Tina Turner! Now it was Tiffany's turn to say "Oh shit!" Tina Turner is wearing a dark gray blouse, brown open vest, and black skirt, and she is looking too choice. And she's having so much fun singing "What's Love Got to Do with It"! A standing ovation from the crowd was well deserved.

Another montage is shown, showcasing new music. A glimpse of Sheila E., and Ratt, which A.J. was really happy about. With another taste of Dan Aykroyd, he asks how good he'd look in leather. Billy Idol tells him that "I think you would look good in leather, Dan. I think everyone looks good in leather." Enjoying Billy Idol's presence, they watch him award Diana Ross Michael Jackson's "Thriller", winning "Viewer's Choice", the other nominees for it being The Cars' "You Might Think", Herbie's "Rockit", Cyndi's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", and The Police's "Every Breath You Take". Nina Blackwood, another VJ, shows up and prowls the audience. She might be A.J.'s favorite since A.J. really liked her hair! Meanwhile Dan and Bette share a doggie treat backstage. Tiffany couldn't stop laughing.

Then, Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes came to present! "Oh my gosh oh my gosh A.J. look!" Tiffany _had_ to sit up for this segment. Simon wearing a tux, but the sleeves rolled up, and Nick looking so good AGAIN, wearing a suit but a purple button-down shirt and black bowtie, gorgeous hair. Speaking of hair, Simon seems to have grown his a bit. Simon asks the audience "Does anyone know the difference between male and female videos?", and Nick responds "Actually I always thought the difference between male and female videos were that, the male videos had more females than, than the female videos." Cheeky boys. For "Best Female Video", we had Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield", Cyndi's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", Cyndi's "Time After Time" (which A.J. _totally_ sat up for, joining Tiffany), Bette's "Beast of Burden", and Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money". The winner is, CYNDI LAUPER! Tiffany and A.J. almost screamed, bouncing up and down on the cushions holding each other's hands. "Boy I'm glad I won otherwise this tiara would've looked awfully stupid!" 'No way' Tiffany thought, sure that A.J. shared the same sentiments. Cyndi started listing off and thanking the people that helped her make the video, saying "See, I'm trying to keep up with the dancing thing," referring to what Michael Peters did earlier in the night. She's too sweet. "See?! I knew my Duran Duran boys were good luck!" Tiffany proudly declared.

ZZ Top performs next, and they aren't too bad, playing "Sharp Dressed Man". "So what do you think of them so far?" Tiffany asked. "It's, okay. Those beards though" A.J. laughs. But as soon as she says that, the camera pans to the audience, who are ALL wearing fake gray beards and shades to wear during it. "Hahaha that's cute!" Tiffany says. Belinda and Kathy have finally shown up, introduced as "one of the greatest, all girls groups of all time" by Dan. Tiffany was pretty happy to see them, presenting "Best Male Video". Choices between David's "China Girl", Herbie's "Rockit", Michael's "Thriller", Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long (All Night)". "The winner is, David Bowie's 'China Girl'" Belinda and Kathy say together, and Iggy Pop comes up to the stage to accept it on David's behalf. "I'm shocked that Michael didn't win this one. Although that is the first time I've ever seen Iggy Pop with a shirt on" A.J. joked. "I didn't know 'China Girl' was a cover to Iggy Pop's!" Tiffany realized. "Yeah it was originally Iggy Pop's solo debut album. His version is pretty emotional" her girlfriend informed. "Oh okay."

Now, it was time for the last award, "Video of the Year", presented by Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphey. Nominees for it were, The Cars' "You Might Think", Herbie Hancock's "Rockit", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", and The Police "Every Breath You Take". Both Joe and Eddie were clowning around while the screen showed the music videos, and jumped straight back to their former positions. Joe starts "The winner is," Eddie slides the silver Moonman trophy to him and interrupts to say "This has been a wacky night, hasn't it?" To tease the audience even further, Joe starts playing with the trophy, "Quick impression, moon walking! Heh,... Sorry, that was terrible" "And the winner is," Eddie says, looks at Joe, hears someone backstage talking and shouts "Shut up!" Joe couldn't hold in his laughter. Tiffany is on the edge of her seat. 'These bastards' she thought. Eddie looks around, goes up to the microphone, and says "Excuse me," Joe finally says "AND THE WINNER IS, for MTV's Best Video for 1984," cues Eddie, and Eddie says, "The Cars." Both girls shout "WHAT?!" They look at each other in disbelief. "Okay, I know Cyndi probably wouldn't have won that, but there's no way Michael Jackson's couldn't have won that. Even Herbie's 'Rockit' was way better! Not to say The Cars' is terrible, but c'mon!" A.J. said. "Yeah, no I totally agree with you! Michael Jackson should've won that!" Tiffany sighs, then says "Oh well."

The Cars say their thanks, Eddie Murphy blending in and saying "I'd like to say thanks to everyone I love you all" in a British accent, getting more laughter out of the audience. The show ends soon enough and they leave the TV on as it plays its regular lineup of music videos again. "Well that was actually fun. I really liked that!" A.J. remarked. Tiffany decided to hug her! That caught A.J. off guard. "Hey! Listen, your favorite song? It's still your favorite song!," Tiffany says, pulls them apart, and continues "And now my fav from Cyndi too! And out of all of those awards, she won at least ONE, so that's a win for us too!" A.J. looks at her for a quick sec, sighs and smiles, saying "Thanks. I was actually going to say that to you about Duran Duran as well. You always seem to be able to read my mind, huh?" "You're a pretty observant girl, doesn't mean that I'm not too! Speaking of, I haven't heard you play 'Time After Time'. It is your favorite song" Tiffany brought up. "It's still a bit embarrassing to play it, I feel way too vulnerable. And I trust you, but, y'know. Anyways, I did play it using your Walkman that one night. When you were working on the carburetor? When I went out for a walk?"A.J. explained. "OH yeah! Okay! I didn't know that! But yeah I totally getcha! It's okay!" Tiffany assured. 

"Hey, you aren't too tired today, are you?" A.J. asked her. Tiffany pondered for a second, since they just finished the work week. "Hmm, nope! We can rest tomorrow! Why? Did you wanna go out tonight?" she asked her. "Yeah I was wondering if you wanted to go watch a movie?" A.J. asked. "Yeah! That sounds rad! Maybe even romantic! We can finally watch Ghostbusters!" Tiffany suggests. "Romantic? Haha I suppose that would be nice. C'mon let's go, I'll take us" A.J. offers. "Oh, are you sure? You've been driving a lot lately" Tiffany asked. "It's fine, you motored earlier today for our jobs, so I don't mind." Tiffany gave her a sweet kiss for that! "Hey hold on. Any more of those and we might not end up leaving the apartment tonight," A.J. warned, continuing "Though I may have to give you some too when we come back." "Hm, I might love that" Tiffany smiled. She's gonna keep A.J. to that promise. 'Well, it's not a promise, but still!' she thought.

They stand up and A.J. scurries away to go put on her high tops that she always kicks off when they get home. Tiffany reaches down and picks up the remote to turn off the TV, tosses it on the sofa, then runs to A.J. who is tying her laces for the second shoe. And surprise! A hug for her from behind! "Tiffany you're gonna mess up my hair before we even step outside!" A.J. pleads. "Oh your hair is already m-" Tiffany starts but is cut off by A.J., "HEY, don't you finish that sentence hahaha." "I'm kidding I'm kidding, your hair is great" Tiffany assures, slipping on her shoes. She lifts her leg behind her, one at a time, to pull out the heel that was pushed down. She kicks the front end of each shoe on the ground to make sure they fit snuggly, then they head on their way to the movies!

After they have driven to it and parked, they were walking and almost to the entrance of the movie theater! Tiffany noticed that A.J. was falling behind. Or maybe she slowed down her speed on purpose? "A.J. what's up?" Tiffany asked. "Okay, I don't want you to hate me, but instead of Ghostbusters, can we, watch Indiana Jones, again?" A.J. had shyly asked. Tiffany initially asks " _Again?_ " but felt that her tone while saying that was kinda negative. Plus it looked like A.J. really wanted to see it again, and wasn't trying to be mean about it. "You know what nevermind. Forget I said-" A.J. starts retracting the request but Tiffany won't hear of it! "A.J. I wouldn't ever hate you! It's fine! We can, but promise me we'll go see Ghostbusters next time, ok?" she asks her. "Deal" A.J. smiles, they pinky promise and take each other's hand to have yet another adventurous night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! So a VJ is a video jockey, like the video version of a DJ? MTV I guess made that a thing when they first launched the channel. This chapter was pretty interesting to write. When I looked at the dates and was trying to figure out chronologically what was happening next, I got super excited! Then the realization hit me that the whole thing doesn't exist online, whatsoever. Had to search deeply to find specific details about it, with the w.pedia not being helpful. And the clips on yt having weird names? It was super fun, but not something I would want to do again anytime soon ha ha. A fun night regardless for the two girls. Maybe even I'm in the mood to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom... ANYWAYS, next week, a surprise! See y'all!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"Man I am beat" A.J. tells Tiffany, plopping on the sofa, high tops already kicked to the side. "But do you _got_ the beat?" Tiffany asked, looking so proud at the fact that she referenced a song by The Go-Go's. A.J. only groans as Tiffany giggles. "Come here, I have a surprise for you" A.J. says. Tiffany walks over to her, probably thinking it is going to be a kiss, but A.J. instead pulls her down onto the sofa and begins the tickle punishment! "A.J.! Hahaha no! Please, haha, I'm ticklish!" Tiffany pleads, but A.J. won't have any of that! "Please? Please as in continue?" she smirks. "Hahaha no you haha know what I mea-" Tiffany tries to vocalize, but is interrupted by knocking on their front door. Stopping the punishment, A.J. groans and asks "Lord, who is it _now?_ " "Who knows? Maybe it could be Kenny this time!," Tiffany suggests, giving A.J. a kiss, "C'mon! Let's go check!" A.J. shakes her head, saying "You know full well that those kisses always puts me in a better mood."

They get up and head to the door. Tiffany spies through the peephole, and declares "I knew it!" She swings the door wide open and shouts "Kenny!" And there he was, in his normal red flannel. But there were two other people behind him. "Tiffany!" Kenny reciprocates, and they give each other a hug. It's amusing to see the two most hyper former counselors in the same vicinity of one another. Kenny pulls A.J. into one as well, and this gave A.J. time to catch a glimpse of, Tommy? "Girls, you remember Tommy?" Kenny says as he steps aside, "And this is Megan!" Tommy looked the same as usual, minus the denim jacket, which is good, because otherwise she would've called him crazy for wearing it in this weather. New Jersey was an exception; it was farther North. But she merely glanced at him so she could get a better look at this Megan, which A.J. just remembered Tina mentioning that Tommy had a girlfriend named Megan. Duh. Of course that's her. Megan had blonde hair right above her shoulders, cute bangs covering her forehead. She was wearing a low-cut black shirt. Very small pearl earrings and a herringbone gold necklace. Simple, but A.J. is sure Tiffany is probably just _gawking_ over Megan's fashion. At least internally. For now.

Nonetheless, they introduce themselves. A.J. reaches for Megan's hand and says "Megan, right? I'm A.J. Nice to meet you. "Hi! Nice to meet you too, A.J.!" Megan greeted back with a smile, shaking hands. Meanwhile, Tiffany was going about her normal hugging greetings, "Tommy!" Megan looked a teensy bit concerned, maybe protective? Of Tommy? Until A.J. assures her "It's okay, that's how she greets her friends." Which seemed to cast away any potential jealousy thoughts from Megan's head. Especially when Tiffany overheard and piped in with "Yeah don't worry about me! I'm dating A.J.!" Tiffany then gives Megan a hug too. "Hi! I'm Tiffany! Tina told us about you!" "Oh you know Tina?!" And they talk about her for a bit, Tommy coming up to A.J. and raising his hand to say hi. "Hi Tommy. No, I'm not mad at you anymore" A.J. sarcastically says. Loosening up a bit, Tommy says "Oh, well, uh good! And hello, to the both of you." "A.J.! Give Tommy and Megan a hug too!" Tiffany demanded. A.J. chuckles, then gives one to each of them. Megan didn't mind though. A.J. looks at Kenny, who has his arms open, waiting for his hug. "Oh no, YOU come here" she says annoyed, grabbing Kenny's shirt and dragging him towards the stairs and down. 'He's going to pay for both revealing where I live and sharing info about my personal life' she thought, Kenny having a worried expression on his face. "Where is she taking him?" Megan asks. "Oh she's probably going to go yell at him" Tiffany guesses, unwavering from her cheerful tone.

Returning from a lengthy lecture she gave about invasion of privacy and how disrespectful and dangerous it could be, she and Kenny head back upstairs and into the apartment. Tiffany had already seemed to show Tommy and Megan around the apartment and proceeds to give A.J. a quick kiss when she returned. "Sorry I can't stay, but I gotta head back to my apartment" Kenny brings up. "What? Why?" Tiffany asked. "Yeah, well Shelly and Vera are not home, and Jenny said she wanted to talk to me about something when I get back. I haven't the foggiest idea to know what she's going to bring up. Any thoughts?" Kenny explains. A.J. and Tiffany both give each other a "look," knowing exactly what Jenny is going to bring up. A.J. concludes with saying "Kenny, I think it's best if you head on home. It's probably pretty important." "Yeah you're probably right! Thanks A.J.! You're the best!" Kenny compliments, then all eyes turn to A.J. after the appreciation. A.J., who didn't feel that appreciation was warranted, merely waves it off "Whatever you say." Kenny nods and jogs off, closing the door behind him.

"You think Jenny will ask Kenny out?" Tiffany asked. "I hope so." "Jenny's the girl I just met, right" Megan asks Tommy. "Yeah. But hold on," now asking Tiffany, "You said 'ask Kenny out.' Does Jenny..." Tommy trailed off. "Oh Jenny _definitely_ likes Kenny. God you two should've seen her. The way she looked at him. And she's going to confess her love?" Megan gushes. "Did she really have that look? Gosh I wish I saw Jenny before tonight!" Tiffany whined. "Was Jenny really in love with him?" Tommy asked, looking completely oblivious. "Tommy did you seriously not notice? It was written all over her face! She's probably been in love with him since she met him!" Megan said. "But I didn't see any type of look on Jenny during the Summer" Tiffany stated. Megan had to think about that for a moment, then asked, "When did you and A.J. started going out?" "In the Summer" both girls said simultaneously. "That's why" Megan stated, " _You_ ," she says, poking Tiffany's nose, and then gesturing at A.J. further saying "Were too busy looking at _her_." Tiffany looks at A.J., A.J. decides to smile for her, and Tiffany looks the other way _blushing!_ "See?" Megan proposed.

"Did you two just get into L.A.? Tina told us you two were moving here, but that was a while ago" A.J. brought up. "I, uh, had to talk to my sister. Or at least I tried to" Tommy said. "Tommy was trying to patch things up with his older sister, but she wouldn't want anything to do with him" Megan added. "Megan..." "What? It's the truth. Anyways, I had to get in the middle of all that. She was surprised that he had a girlfriend. Which made me a bit mad. Like he wasn't good enough for one? But like she just expected he was supposed to get over with what happened to him as a kid. He at least _tried_ to fight it. It was just more direct. She didn't believe he was getting over it, and wanted nothing from us" Megan explained. A.J. and Tiffany had to take it in before the latter said "Tommy, I'm so sorry." A.J. could've asked what happened to Tommy as a kid, but her instincts made her decide otherwise, in fear that the explanation could've affected Tiffany very negatively, if it had anything to do with that lake. A.J. then decides to say "But you never left him" to Megan, hopefully changing the vibe into a more positive light. Wrapping her arms around his left one, she declared "Yup! He's not going to get rid of me that easily!" Tommy looked a little reluctant up front, but A.J. could tell deep down that he loved Megan with all his heart.

"You two are cute together! Where did you two meet?" Tiffany asked, curiosity seemingly taking ahold of her yet again. A.J. found that curiosity particularly adorable. "In a jail cell..." Tommy slowly admitted. Catching both of their attention, A.J. and Tiffany exclaimed "WHAT?" Megan looked so happy when he said that, also realizing with a gasp "In this outfit too!" Tiffany now practically swooning over Megan's fashion externally, Tiffany says "You look _so good_ in that! Especially your top and boots!" Before Megan could say thank you, Tommy, what may have been an accident, says "She really does." Regret washes over his face, but Megan was just so giddy and happy and in awe all at the same time! It was remarkable, really. "You mean that?!" Tommy shrugs, and says "Well, I mean, yeah." Megan lightly hits his shoulder and tells him "Keep that up and you won't get any sleep tonight. I'll be certain of that." Tommy only groans as A.J. and Tiffany give each other a "Wow" look. Megan just laughs. "But why a jail cell?" Tiffany redirecting the conversation back to her previous question. It may not have been the best question to ask, as Tommy and Megan hesitated and then looked at each other. A specific look. One that A.J. knows too well. She catches herself do it more often than she would've liked, and Tina did it once or twice. Tommy and Megan may have had their own "night" that they had to struggle through.

"Do you two want to go out somewhere? Maybe see a little bit of the city?" A.J. suggests. "No no, we'll be okay! I mean we just moved in a week ago, so now that we live here, I'm sure we'll have _plenty_ of time to check everything out" Megan assured her. "Then they can hang out here for a while! We can leave the TV on MTV's channel so we have music in the background while we talk!" Tiffany tries suggesting. Megan looks at Tommy, and Tommy looks at the TV, then back at them, smiling "Sure, we can do that."

Now at the table, the two girls were pretty curious about something specific. Well, a couple of things, but a big thing they've wondered about since Tina visited them. "Why did you two move to L.A.?" Tiffany asked. That question made Megan's eyes light up so fast, it looked like she was born answer it. "So Tommy, he's had an affinity for making masks and make-up effects since he was a kid! But he's also, like, REALLY good at making them! So much so, that he was hired and is now going to start working! For studios! For _movies!_ " Megan expressed. She looks so proud! "It's not that big of a deal" Tommy tries to brush off. "Not that big a deal? Dude you're going to be working at Hollywood!" A.J. reminded him. "Yes! Tommy, you should be happy for yourself! Indulge a little, you've earned it" Megan assures him. "Tommy you get to have fun for work! Trust me when I say it's so rewarding! Have fun!" Tiffany exclaimed. Tommy, finally persuaded, says "Alright, alright. You girls are right. I'll try to be more positive about it." Megan smiled, while A.J. and Tiffany cheered. A.J. figured that she herself cheering must've been Tiffany's influence on her again. And she kinda liked that.

Nature probably calling, Megan asks "Hey, where is your bathroom?" A.J. instructs "Behind me, first door to the right." "Thanks!" Megan says as she heads to that direction. Leaning closer, Tommy says "About that one time, I'm sorry-" "Stop. It's okay. I already told you I'm not mad anymore," A.J. interjects, pauses, takes Tiffany's hand, and continues "As long as you understand why that wasn't right, then it should be fine." Tiffany looked a bit clueless about what was being conversed about, but she was also looking pretty content at the moment, maybe having to do with the hand holding. Which is good, because A.J. doesn't need that brought up on such a nice night. Then an idea hit Tiffany's head. "You may seem annoyed, but it really looks like you'd never leave her! You must really love her!" "She never left you since you two met, huh? At least that's how I'm interpreting it" A.J. says, deciding to join in on Tiffany's subject. Tommy is a little bashful about it, sighing and nodding. Then, his face softens a little bit, and says, "She's the only one who believed me the entire time..."

Any chance to ask him what he meant, or rather what happened, was thrown out the window when Megan came right back. She wasn't too pleased when Tommy was initially shocked that she came back too early. Then giving her a cheeky smile right after. The kind you would catch a small child making when they were pretending nothing is wrong. "You three were talking about me, weren't you?! C'mon, spill it!" Megan demanded, rushing over to Tommy's side, shaking his chair back and forth. "Megan, stop! I'm going to fall!" Tommy begged. "And it'd serve you right for telling embarrassing stories about me!" "I wasn't! They were good things!" Megan paused after hearing that from him, next asking "... Really?" "Really" Tommy responded. Megan looked at both A.J. and Tiffany, who were both nodding that what he was saying is true, thought about it, then started shaking him again! "Then tell ME these good stories about me!" Megan now demanded. A.J. and Tiffany both laughed.

Convincing Megan that he'll tell her later when they get home, they return to running through several topics of discussion. Tommy was explaining to them how to make masks. At least a brief description of it. Megan, who has probably seen and heard about it many a times, had put her feet on their table, and starts leaning back, trying to see how far back her chair will go while still staying balanced. Tommy, too engrossed in his explanations, probably wouldn't even notice what Megan was doing. A.J., however, due to Megan sitting in front of her, is glancing at Megan every couple of seconds. Drifting on and off of the conversation and focusing more towards her new blonde friend, A.J. thinks to herself 'Uh oh, that won't turn out well.' "Uh, Megan-" she tries to warn, but fails. Megan loses balance in the worse-case scenario, and topples backwards. Right before she completely falls, she grabs ahold of Tommy's shirt for a possible last-ditch effort. It doesn't work. They both fall. On the floor, Tommy is on his back with a "What in the hell just happened?" look on his face while Megan is just dying of laughter. Leaning closer to him she tries to apologize, but her bits of laughter is not letting the message get across. The two girls rush around the table to help them up. After checking if they were okay, Tiffany asks "It must be really hard for him to keep up with you. Are you younger?" to Megan. "Hey, I can keep up!" Tommy protests. "I know you can, big boy" Megan winks. Tommy groans yet again, as Megan continues "Anyways, nope! I'm older! Who's older out of the both of you?" A.J. had to look at Tiffany for a moment, as Tiffany looked back at her, puzzled. 'If her birthday is in February, then that means...' "I'm younger" A.J. vocalizes. Somehow answering that triggered some type of alarm inside of her girlfriend, Tiffany beamed hearing it and gave A.J. a hug.

Megan jumps back in with a new question, "By the way, did you two end up watching the MTV's VMAs by any chance?!" Tiffany immediately jumps at the chance to say "Um YEAH! We watched the whole thing together!" It looked like some weird fire in her was invigorated. "Did you see that Duran Duran was _nominated?!_ They were so close!" Tiffany whined. "Yes! That was a shame. But did you see _Madonna's_ performance?! It was absolutely AMAZING! Not that I could ever do that, but wow! Watch, she's gonna be _big_ " Megan predicted, "If you think our fashion is good, wait until she _really_ takes the scene!" It seems that Tiffany never even considered that, a whole new possibility of style opened up in her head. "Cyndi has great fashion too" A.J. pipes up, all eyes turning on her. "... From what I've seen at the awards" she throws in, so she doesn't out herself. She, being too cautious about anyone else (besides Tiffany) learning about her favorite song. "Yeah Cyndi has great taste too! Did you see her tiara?!" Tiffany chimes in, taking A.J.'s hand under the table, a signal signifying that Tiffany understood what A.J. was being careful of. "Oh absolutely! She got the most nominations than everyone else in that room that night. Her music is great!" Megan agrees. 'This is a girl I can definitely trust' A.J. decides to herself. The three girls look at Tommy, who wasn't saying too much, if anything, on the subject. Tommy looks at Megan, the two girls, Megan again, and says, "She... Has a weird voice...?" Megan stops smiling, Tiffany sighs, and A.J. shakes her head in disappointment. "I'm gonna use your bathroom real quick" Tommy says, running off to save his own skin.

"I feel like I've been messing with him a bit too much today" Megan wonders. "He should be okay. Just make sure he knows you're kidding. Don't wanna go too far" A.J. cautions. Megan nods. "Oh! Since you know Tina, that means you know Nick too!" Tiffany deduced. "Yeah, Nick is really sweet! He's so polite? Even though he told me he used to do bad stuff apparently? I think he's trying to remedy that and be better" Megan explained. "And he's super polite to Tina too! They're great together! Also Tina said that YOU are really nice! And enjoys hanging out with you!" Tiffany remembers. Pretty spot on too, though it does involve Tina. "She said that about me?! Oh that girl, she's gonna get it" Megan says out loud, but endearingly. "Was she doing okay?" Megan further asks. "She's great!" Tiffany replied. "She's happy, and that's good enough for us" A.J. further adds. Megan looked content to hear that, saying again "She's definitely gonna get it." Tommy returns from the bathroom and they ask him what they think of Nick. "Nick? Good guy. He can be a little too honest sometimes, but if you mean well it shouldn't be a problem. He seems pretty picky on the people he tolerates" Tommy shared. "Y'know Nick did say that he was picky when it came to friends!" Tiffany remembering that tidbit as well. "I'm now starting to wonder what in his past made him think that way. Not that there's anything wrong with that" A.J. commented. Tiffany glanced at her when she said that, and was left in what ever her thoughts on the matter were in that head of her's.

After moving to the living room (Megan and Tiffany sat on the sofa, Tommy on the coffee table, and A.J. on the floor, leaning her head on Tiffany's leg as Tiffany pats through A.J.'s hair), they watch a couple of music videos up close as they catch up on more things that happened since the Summer. Or even things that they like, since they are just meeting each other, aside from Tommy, but even then, he was only at the camp for _that_ night, and the glimpses of him that they saw when he stopped by the motel afterwards before they flew out. But it was really fun! A.J. was having a great time. She almost wanted to apologize to Kenny for intruding unannounced. Almost. It's still wrong. However two hours later have passed and it was time for the other couple to go. She and Tiffany take them back to the apartment entrance and say their goodbyes. Megan has a small change of plans though. "Tommy, can you start the car? I'll be right there" Megan tells him. He nods, and waves to the two girls "I'll see you two later!" Once he's out of hearing distance, Megan turns back to the girls and starts "Thank you two so much for tonight! We had a _lot_ of fun!" "Don't worry about it. We're happy to have you" A.J. tries to brush off, Tiffany nodding with an "Mhmm!"

"It's also just, Tommy has had a, hard life? He still blames himself for everything that has happened, even stuff before it involved him! Isn't that crazy?! Like imagine, blaming yourself for things that happened when you were a twelve-year-old. Or a massacre that happened five years prior to that? He would go to all the graves of victims too... Once a year... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to dump all this on you!" Megan suddenly realized. "No no it's fine!" Tiffany assured her. A.J. chuckles to herself, and says "You know, Nick, when he and Tina were visiting us, did the exact same thing. I think, you telling us all this just shows how much you care about him." "I do! I mean, I would go so far to even risk my life for his! I'm sure you'd understand, right?" Megan asked. Tiffany and A.J. looked at one another, and A.J. answered "Yes, I absolutely do. It'll be fine. He loves you." Satisfied, Megan gives them a hug and says "I'm happy I got to meet you two! We'll be sure to hang out more often!" "Totally!" Tiffany expressed.

Once the two girls headed back inside and locked the door, A.J. notices that Tiffany is beaming at her again. "Hm?" A.J. hums. "You were talking a lot to Megan and Tommy today! AND that you looked like you were having a good time doing it too! That makes me happy!" Tiffany said. A.J. pondered on that. "I did talk more, didn't I? Haha, the old me would've never done that," A.J. laughs off, takes Tiffany's hand, and leads them back to the sofa, "But yes, I had a great time. I'm glad to meet them." They sit down and she points out "You sure like asking people if they're in love with the person they're dating, huh?" "Totally! It's nice to see people in love! I also wanna make sure that, not that I'm saying they forget, but reminding them how radical love is!" Tiffany explained. "So you looked at me a lot during the Summer?" A.J. brought up. Tiffany exclaims " _A.J.!_ " "C'mon! I wanna know! I'll admit, I looked at you a lot too. You're pretty..." A.J. admits, and further states "Plus I'm sure we locked eyes plenty of times during meetings" to try to brush off her own blushing. Tiffany, her face getting red, also admits "Yes, A.J., I did look at you a lot..." Now they're _both_ a bunch of blushing messes, but A.J. was happy to hear that.

She brings Tiffany's face close to her's, kisses her cheek, then her cheekbone, then her cheek again. Tiffany couldn't stop from giggling. "A.J. what are you doing? Hahaha." "I never finished your punishment from that awful reference. You didn't even try" A.J. remarked. "Hey! I tried a little bit!" Tiffany pouted. A.J. kissed the now puckered lips and said "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" Completely changing her expression back to her happy self, Tiffany confirmed "Of course I would. I always would." Tiffany uses her hands to take A.J.'s face and gives her a kiss. " _You're_ radical" A.J. declared. Tiffany smiles at her, and replies "I love you too, A.J."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Tommy is back! With Megan this time! From what I said in Ch. 13, I'm gonna have to take it back. MEGAN is my favorite character from the movies. She always was ever since I was a kid. She's just too cool. Rewatching Part VI reminded me of it. Tina IS my second favorite, however! Tommy is dense, but that's okay. He got his dream job. Hopefully since they live in the same city, we'll see them more, even just a bit! I'm starting to feel a little bad, since I'm having more of the "guest stars" showing up on the A.J. chapters (the chapter focusing on which of the two girls being hinted at the end of each summary). The two girls had fun with them though! Stay safe, everyone!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"I feel like all we've ever been fixing are A/Cs lately" Tiffany complains. "Hey c'mon now, no whining! Fixing these up helps us keep our jobs!" Harvey pointed out. "Yeah I know, but still! It's not giving me more ways to practice!" she tells him. "You shouldn't even be learnin'! Why did I hire you?" he asks himself. "Hey, be nice! Also you should always be learning! It's important, Harvs!" she lectures. "Stop calling me that, kid" the old man says. " _Tiffany_. You never listen" she says, and he reciprocates "And neither do you." She sulks for a moment, then remembers that there is a radio in the office. "Hey! We should listen to music while we work!" Tiffany suggests. "It took you that long to suggest that? Also no. You'd pick some station that only produces noise. 'Cause that's all that gets released now" he states. "That's rude! There's fantastic music that's been coming out! All the time!" she tries to convince him. He just shakes his head of the whole thing while he works.

Then he pauses. Tiffany tilts her head in confusion. "Although," he begins, "There was this one song I heard. I can't remember the name..." Tiffany's ears perked when she heard him. "Do you remember who it was from?!" Tiffany exclaimed, albeit a little too excitedly. "Quit shoutin'! Uh, a group of boys?" he tries to remember. 'Great. "A group of boys"? _That'll_ narrow it down' she sarcastically thinks to herself. "Wait, no not a group of boys... Brothers...? No, twins! 'Something' twins" the old man almost remembered. Wait, twins? "You mean the Thompson Twins?!" Tiffany asked. "Yeah! That's it! That's a nice name for musicians. Much better than, what was the group of boys you liked? Durians?" he asked. "Duran Duran" she flatly corrected, "Anyways, was the song called 'Hold Me Now'?" "There ya go! Yup, that's the song" he affirmed. This gave Tiffany an idea. She jogged to the office and brought the radio to the workstation anyways, despite him telling her no. "Hey, what did I just sa-" "LISTEN, there might be this one song you'll _really_ like! Trust me on this! It usually plays sometimes an hour from now on my days off, so hopefully it'll play today! I'll even keep the volume super low next to me until it comes on!" Tiffany urges. The old man sighs, and says "Do whatever you want." Taking that answer, she brings it close to the car she's working on and switches to the FM channel that normally plays the song she wants to show him.

About an hour has passed and they're working as they normally would. She gets up to look for a valve core remover/installer, and she can't find it. Not in this mess. "I can never find anything in here! This is an absolute disaster of a garage! You should organize it more!" Tiffany said. "It is organized. Organized chaos. I can find just about anything with no troubles. Quit complaining" the old man responds. Tiffany pouts, ends up finding it, and continues working. When she sets the valve core down, she glances at the glove she's wearing, then looks at the gray sleeve of her jumpsuit. Her eyes trail to her name embroidered in cursive on the oval. She starts getting emotional again. But before tears can pop up for the umpteenth time, the song started playing! She snaps out of it and cranks up the volume and rushes to the old man as fast as she could. He sets down his pressure gauge and turns towards the radio. He was still frowning and furrowing his brows, but she could tell he was listening intently. When it was over, he looked intrigued. "What was that song?" he asked her. "'I Can Dream About You' by Dan Hartman!" Tiffany informed him. "He has a great voice. That wasn't too bad at all" the old man said. Tiffany was taken aback _just_ a little bit, knowing she wouldn't normally ever hear him praise about ANYTHING. Satisfied, she takes the radio back with her and continues working.

Still engrossed in her repairs, she didn't realize what time it was until later on the old man said out loud "It's almost 7..." She looks up and behind her at the analog clock on the wall. It's definitely about to be 7 PM. Tiffany grabbed her towel and wiped any potential smudges off her face, puts away the tools, closed the hood of the car she was working on, and ran into the restroom. She changed out of her jumpsuit and into her classic attire, freshened up a teensy bit, folded up said jumpsuit, and jumped back out of the restroom. "I'll finish up the car tomorrow!" she yells to him. "That's fine, he won't be here until later tomorrow to pick it up anyways" he says, referring to one of their customers. "See ya tomorrow!" she shouts as she walks out of the opened garage door. "See ya tomorrow" he says as well. She walks to the curb and sits on top of it. Ever since she was hired, that following week she and A.J. alternate on who is driving. Tiffany one day, A.J. the other, then Tiffany, A.J., etc. The one who's driving drops off the other at their job, as they head to their own job. Then they pick up the other when they get off. Simple plan and it's pretty fair. Though Tiffany does wonder if it'd be easier to have two cars instead of just borrowing A.J.'s. 'Maybe I can ask my dad to help me in getting a car' she thinks to herself. She holds her jumpsuit in her lap as she taps one foot at a time on the asphalt.

Right when she starts to look at the sky, A.J. pulls up in the mazda! Tiffany pops right back up and runs to the car. "A.J.!" she excitedly stated. She jumps in and gives her a sweet kiss! "Hey sweetie. Had fun today?" A.J. asks her. Buckling up as they drive away, Tiffany answers "Yeah! Okay so get this, so Harvs asked me about a song that he actually liked that came out this year, and we figured out it was the Thompson Twins' 'Hold Me Now', right?" A.J. affirms "Mhm?" "So then I had to show him 'I Can Dream About You' by Dan Hartman! I just knew he'd like it! Also I had to prove him wrong!" Tiffany continues. "Prove him wrong? Why?" her girlfriend asked. "Because he said that the only types of songs that gets released now are all 'noise'! Can you believe that?" she asked her. A.J. started laughing and says "That's ridiculous." "Right?!" "Like, there are so many good bands and musicians, it's crazy how lucky we are. Maybe he's just upset that the stuff he grew up with isn't as prevalent. It's a cycle with ever generation, really." A.J. rationalizes. "Cycle? You mean it'd happen to us too?" Tiffany asked. She didn't want to ever be angry about music, but she also doesn't want to give up the current styles of music. The sounds are too radical! "Hmmm," A.J. ponders, then flashes her a quick smile as she continues driving, "Maybe! It could get harder on you than it will on me, since you're more into the solo artists who make big hits. I'm a bit more into bands, so they'll usually last longer. But you're also more accepting of latest trends, even though you don't notice it, so you'll be able to be more flexible about future music. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." Tiffany never thought about it like that, she just liked what she liked. Though so did A.J. 'She's right, it's better not to think about it' she decided.

The two make it back to the apartment, and as soon as they walk inside and lock the door, the phone starts ringing. "Man I haven't even flung off my kicks yet..." A.J. sighed. "I can get it!" Tiffany offers. "No no, it's okay. I got it..." A.J. says as she begrudgingly trudged. 'Poor love-bug...' Tiffany thought. A.J. answers "Hello?... Oh hey, how've you been?" As A.J. continues talking to whoever was on the other side of the line, Tiffany had a great idea. She strolls up to A.J. and starts untying her high tops. She looks up at her girlfriend, and motions her to hop on top of the counter with her eyes. While still on the phone, A.J. does indeed hop and sit on the counter, giving Tiffany the chance to take A.J.'s kicks off. A.J. flashes her another quick smile, more appreciative this time. Though that gave Tiffany an even _better_ idea. She starts messing with A.J.'s feet, and A.J. ALMOST giggled out loud, luckily had fast enough reflexes to cover her mouth. "Hm? No no I'm okay, anyways," A.J. continues, Tiffany smirking and restarting the grand idea.

After she makes A.J. laugh a couple of more times by messing with A.J.'s feet, the shorter girl finally hangs up the phone. "And YOU. YOU are going to g-" A.J. starts but Tiffany stops her, from what could've became a tickle revenge. "Wait!" Tiffany says. A.J. looked curious as to why she said that, and Tiffany pulls her girlfriend into a kiss. "I love you" she tells her. A.J., that familiar tinge of pink on her cheeks, says "No fair. You're making me blush." "We could, maybe do a couple more of those, if you'd like?" Tiffany suggests. A.J. almost jumped right for it, but then shook her head "No we can't, Jenny is on her way." Jenny?! "Jenny?!" she vocalizes. "Yeah she was the one on the phone. I kinda invited her over. Sorry I didn't ask you first" A.J. apologized. "No it's okay! I'm excited to see her! Yes! We get to see-" "No Fear Jenny" A.J. joins in at the last part, making Tiffany giggle.

Forty minutes pass until they hear knocking. Tiffany jolts out of the sofa and pulls A.J. with her to answer the door. Tiffany opens it and shouts "JENNY!" as she hugs her. Even A.J. seemed like she couldn't contain herself into giving Jenny a hug. Jenny reminds Tiffany of her older sister a little bit. Or just an older sister in general, which is something A.J. would probably agree with. "Wow, I didn't expect such a warm welcome! Thanks" Jenny tells them. They take her inside and urge her to sit on the sofa. "Wait hold on, there's something I need to tell you two, something important" Jenny tells them. "Oh is it about K-" Tiffany starts, but A.J. cuts her off "Tiffany let's wait on that thought." 'Oh, is this not about Kenny?' she thought to herself.

She and A.J. sit on the armchair of the sofa, ready to listen. It looked important, from the look of Jenny's face. "Back during, that night" Jenny begins. 'No no no we can't. We CAN'T talk about this. Please no' Tiffany begs to whoever is listening to her thoughts. And it seems that her pleads were somehow heard, since A.J. butts in "Skip that part." "What?" she hears Jenny ask. Wait, 'hear'? Then Tiffany realized she squeezed her eyes shut, so she opened them again. She must've shut them when she was pleading in her head. "Skip that part, please get to your point, while skipping that part. Please" A.J. urges. 'A.J. is getting _so_ many hugs after this' Tiffany promised herself. A.J. took Tiffany's hand too, and that helped her feel better a little bit. Jenny had to rack her brain on how to proceed, and says "In that case, I'm sorry." Now Tiffany is confused. "Sorry? Sorry for what?" she asked. "The funeral" Jenny answered. Tiffany and A.J. both looked at each other confused. "What funeral?" A.J. asked. "Rob Dier's" Jenny stated. The two girls looked at each other now in shock. "Oh my gosh we forgot all about his funeral!" Tiffany realized. "No, don't blame yourselves; I was the one who didn't tell you two. You've been through enough as it is. And to be honest, I, along with Tommy, and his girlfriend, were the only ones who went, out of all of us. I didn't tell anyone who was at the hospital either" Jenny tried to assure them, and continues "I just wanted to apologize for you two not being given a chance to think about it." A.J. looks at Tiffany, squeezes her hand and says "I think us leaving that place was the best thing for us to do at that given point in time." Jenny nods in agreement and says "Okay, well I'm happy to hear that. On to brighter things, how are y-"

"Not so fast!" Tiffany pipes up. Jenny just made them go through that hell again. She was at least going to hear about something she has been wondering about for almost two and a half weeks. "Have you confessed to Kenny yet?!" Tiffany demanded. A.J. gave Tiffany a pretty amazed look. Jenny, was understandably shocked, however. Nonetheless, she returned to her calm appearance and chuckled "Yes, we're dating now." Tiffany just _had_ to jump on Jenny and give her a hug when she heard that! "Righteous! Congrats!" she tells her. A.J. also gives Jenny similar sentiments.

"Thanks, both of you. Not gonna lie, I was kinda scared" Jenny sighs. " _You_ were SCARED?" Tiffany asked. She's a little surprised that "No Fear Jenny" was actually afraid. "Of course I was. This may sound cheesy, but I felt like I was putting my heart on the line, you know? And doesn't everyone get scared? Everyone is afraid of something" Jenny stated. Tiffany looked at A.J. again for affirmation, and A.J. gave her a smaller smile this time, agreeing with Jenny. A.J. then tells Jenny "I'm surprised Kenny didn't call about it. He's definitely the type who'd call every single one of us former counselors." Jenny rolls her eyes and replies "Yeah, after he said yes, I had to practically push him away from the telephone so he wouldn't do that very thing. Plus, I really wanted to tell you two in person, since you two told me in person! It's a really good memory for me, as I'm sure it is for you too." A.J. looked embarrassed when Jenny said that. 'She's too cute' Tiffany thought. "So, I wanted to return the favor! Dating someone that dense will have some faults, but he's extremely reliable, and makes me happy, so I'm looking forward to that" Jenny said. "Don't let him slack off now" A.J. warned. "Oh don't worry, he's going to be working even more now" Jenny winks.

Tiffany never wants to think about _that_ ever again, but she was still curious about something. "Jenny?" she asked. Jenny gives Tiffany an attentive look. "The funeral, was it at least nice?" she asked her. Even though the Summer was very short, and she spent a lot of it with A.J., Rob was important to her. He was important to all of them. Even Kenny once told them that Rob figured out things that even Kenny and Jenny couldn't do together! He always knew what to do. "It was indeed very nice. It was a small service, since the parents and some friends of his had to drive in from out of town. He was buried next to his sister" Jenny told her. 'His _parents?_ ,' Tiffany thought, 'His parents had to _bury_ him? Their son? And if he was buried next to his sister, then that means their parents buried both of them? No parent should have to go through that. They must've felt beyond awful. I couldn't even begin to imagine if A.J. died. Wait, was A.J. _this_ scared when she told me back at the hospital...?' She snapped out of that train of thought when A.J. asked Jenny "Did you speak during the service?" Jenny hesitated, smiled and nodded right after. "What did you say...?" A.J. further probed. "I'm not ready to go into that again so soon. I'm sorry..." Jenny answered. 'So even Jenny isn't ready to talk about specific things yet' Tiffany thought to herself. "Oh no it's okay! I'm sorry I asked about that" A.J. apologized.

Jenny looked into the kitchen and presumably at their digital clock on the counter, since she exclaimed "Oh look at the time! Sorry I gotta head back. Shelly, Vera, Kenny, and I are gonna go out to eat. Hey, do you two wanna join us? The more the merrier!" Tiffany, knowing that A.J. is probably tired, answered "No it's okay! Thanks though!" "Oh, and Mitch is having a Halloween party at his place. He was wondering if you two would be able to make it?" Jenny wondered. Tiffany looked at A.J. for that one, since she herself doesn't mind. A.J. however, didn't look one hundred percent into it, hesitating "Uh, well," and then seemingly giving in with a "... Yeah, we'll be there." Already looking like she's going to run late, Jenny takes that as a yes and gives them goodbye hugs saying "Sorry I couldn't stay longer, I had to apologize to you two about that thing. But hopefully we'll hang out again soon!" "No worries!" "Take care of yourself" both girls said before Jenny dashes off.

Closing the door, Tiffany asks her girlfriend "Are you sure you wanna go to the Halloween party?" A.J. looked a teensy bit dejected about it, but still answered "Yeah, we can." Tiffany was not convinced in the least, but she had other matters to attend to. She walks up to A.J., who had returned to the sofa's armchair after the goodbye hugs for Jenny. "Hey A.J." she starts. "What's up?" "After the, anyways, at the hospital months ago. You said that you were really scared to lose me... Is that..." Tiffany started bringing up, but the more she got into that topic, the more and more distraught A.J. became. Immediately dropping the subject, Tiffany gave A.J. a big hug! "I'm not going anywhere, you can trust me on that!" Tiffany declared to her. It seemed like it took a while for those words to kick in, because it was about another minute or two until A.J. exhaled. Though she was still holding onto the back of Tiffany's shirt really tight. 'She's still so worried!'

Another few minutes and Tiffany decided to try to at least cheer her shorter girlfriend up! So, while still hugging her, pushes the both of them on the sofa cushions! She turns her head and gives A.J. a couple of kisses. "H-hey!" A.J. exclaimed. "Yes? You almost jumped at the chance for more of these kisses when I offered them to you earlier. So, you shall have them!" Tiffany declared. A.J. laughs in between each kiss. "Also, that memory of you asking me out, will always be one of the greatest memories for me. I don't find it embarrassing to me one bit" she tells her. They pause, and A.J. tells her "Again, you're not fair. But I love you, so thank you." "I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. When I first started all of this, I always thought 'Well, maybe I can write a bit over 20-something chapters and then I'll finish it.' Well, we finally hit 20, and I realized I'm nowhere near anything close to being done! We're still in 1984! I want to go through that year, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, AND 1989! So hang with me a while longer. Also a part of me really REALLY wants to add Jessica Kimble and Steven from JGTH into this fanfic! I love them tons! Though I don't think I'll ever be able to legitimately, since at this point they're probably still kids. Oh well. Next week will be the Cute Chapter! It'll be great, and I hope y'all will love it. See ya next time!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

It was an absolutely another comfortable day. Is there such a thing as too comfortable? A.J. probably wouldn't think so, because she may have just found the perfect amount. And you can't get beyond perfect. She slowly rises, and looks to her right. It might've been a habit by this point, looking for Tiffany as soon as she wakes up. She may be overthinking, but it could be a bad habit, due to her fear. But as soon as she peered at Tiffany, whatever senses her girlfriend must've had alerted her, for Tiffany woke right up. And A.J. was reminded that it wasn't a bad habit once her girlfriend looked at her. Because this girl made her happy. "Love-bug!" Tiffany exclaimed, sitting up and giving her a hug. A.J. shifted a little bit to get more snuggled in returning the hug. The shifting took a second more than she'd expect since her eyes were still barely open; she had to feel around, with Tiffany giggling at her, since A.J. was basically touching various parts of her body and/or blanket. Tiffany lets go first to ruffle A.J.'s hair. "The best" she found herself saying out loud.

Tiffany declared "I knew it! You _did_ like that!" "Ya caught me red handed" A.J. wised up. "You know you woke up earlier today" Tiffany pointed out. "I did?" she asked. "Yeah!," Tiffany started, but A.J. butted in "Hold on, not as loud yet, until we leave the bedroom." In a softer voice, Tiffany continued "Sorry. But, yeah! You woke up even less awake then right now, muttering something to me, then cuddled with me! I actually loved that, but it was still pretty funny hahaha." "Strange, I don't remember that at all. I would've loved to enjoy that..." A.J. trailed off. "I'll invite you to it later today, if you're schedule's free?" Tiffany joked. "I might have to take you up on that offer. In the meantime," A.J. states, allows her hands to feel up from Tiffany's stomach to her face (mostly because her eyelids are still almost closed) and pulls Tiffany into a somewhat long kiss. Once they parted, Tiffany breathes out "You keep spoiling me!" Surprised, A.J. replies " _You_ are the one always spoiling _me!_ " and they laugh.

Normally around this time they'd be changing out of their pajamas and she'd be trekking to the bathroom to shower, Tiffany taking her turn right after. But not on this wonderful Sunday. They can stay inside all day, as long as there's no plans to grab food, check out the mall, or catch a movie. They can be comfortable for hours in their pj's. When they moved in together Tiffany suggested that they trade the tops that they wear to sleep in. So, when they sleep, she wears Tiffany's old pink t-shirt, with her own white shorts with black accents, and Tiffany wears A.J.'s gray tank top, with pink pajama pants, decorated with squiggles and shapes. Circles, triangles, rectangles, anything that sounded appealing to a geometry student.

"Hey," Tiffany starts, catching A.J.'s attention, "I have an idea!" A.J., knowing how sneaky Tiffany could be sometimes, decided to think up her own idea quick to counter Tiffany's. "Wait, I have an idea this time too!" A.J. intrudes, a little more awake now. At least, her eyes are fully open now. Tiffany's own eyes lit up when A.J. said that, and nodded so A.J. could continue. "How about, we race to the kitchen? Loser has to make pancakes" A.J. proposed. "Whoa you wanna _race?!_ That sounds fun! I was just only going to suggest that we cuddle on the bed for a while longer!" Wait, what? 'Her idea sounds way better than mine! Hold on, she was also in track and field in high school! What've I gotten myself into?' A.J. thought. But she can't back out, Tiffany is looking SO forward to it now. Knowing that she'll need the biggest handicap in this situation, A.J. says as fast as she could, "Ready _GO!_ " and makes a mad dash towards the bedroom door! She may be cheating, but it's the only way. Unfortunately for her, Tiffany's reaction time is a bit too swift, sprinting right afterwards and grabbing A.J.'s leg! 'Oh, so there are no rules, huh?' she thought to herself, but that thought was cut short when A.J. fell to the ground. She could've slammed her chin, if it weren't for her shifting her momentum towards her side at the last possible second. "Oh my gosh are you okay?!" Tiffany worriedly asked. Thinking this is her chance, A.J. pushes herself back up and starts dashing once again! After a couple of minutes of pushing, pulling, dragging one another back to try to get the upper hand, Tiffany wins. Naturally.

A.J. accepts her defeat, noticing that her side hurts just a teensy bit. Tiffany cheers "Yes! Yes! I still got it! But you were radical!" She strolls to A.J. and gives her a hug. A.J., trying her best not to, winces for a fraction of a second. "A.J. you AREN'T okay!" Tiffany immediately pulls them apart and checks A.J.'s left leg, and pulls up the left side of her shirt. The taller girl touches her ribs a bit, and A.J. reflexively sucked in her stomach in fear of being tickled. No bruises. Yet. Tiffany gives her another big hug. " _A.J..._ " Tiffany whines. "I'm sorry, that was my fault. I shouldn't have cheated, and I actually shouldn't have interrupted you at all. Your suggestion was _way_ better" A.J. muffles through her girlfriend's shoulder. "Of course it was! I just wanted us to relax today!" Tiffany expressed. "In any case," Tiffany continues, whilst still not letting go, "I'll be making the pancakes." "Wait, no that's not fair. I'm the one who lost! I don't want you to make them just because I hurt myself a little bi-" she tries to reason, but Tiffany wouldn't budge on that commitment. "A.J. I'm making them and that's that! I was going to make them anyways even if I did win. I'm not letting go until you accept my decision!" Tiffany declared. Relaxing, A.J. concedes "You know I'd be perfectly okay with you not letting me go, but okay, okay I get it. You can make them." Giggling, Tiffany pulls them apart and agrees "I'd be perfectly okay with either, too."

Even though Tiffany stated otherwise, A.J. at the least helped out on making them. Once done, they headed the table to eat them! But instead of Tiffany sitting across from her (so Tiffany can watch her eat), this time she sat next to A.J. Out of the two, comparatively, Tiffany is faster at eating. So once she was done first, she moved her arms inside of A.J.'s shirt and wrapped them around said girl's stomach. Leaning her head on A.J.'s shoulder, she comments "You're soft." Chewing a bit faster so she can respond, A.J. replies "I'm not fat." "You're not! I wasn't saying that. I just like how soft you are. And your stomach too." Tiffany then begins to poke A.J.'s ribs again, making her instinctively suck in her stomach with each poke. "Why do you do that?" Tiffany asks. "Because my body's not used to that" A.J. replies, taking another bite. "Can I, help you get used to that?" Tiffany requests. "Sure, be my guest" A.J. chuckles. Tiffany continues to poke her ribs. And now adding the stomach. Wait, Tiffany is just focusing on the stomach now. "Sweetie" she says. "Mhm?" Tiffany responded. "As much as I absolutely love your touches," she starts, Tiffany butting in "And me." "Yes, and you," A.J. continues, "It's getting kinda hard to eat here..." "Oh! Sorry. I'll wait" Tiffany said. "Thank you." So she continues to finish her last couple of bites of pure bliss. 'Fluffy, and delicious' A.J. thought to herself.

Tiffany, her arms still wrapped around her under her shirt and eyes staring off into the distance, starts humming that Footloose song "Almost Paradise". A.J. decided to join her in humming that love ballad. It seems to have had a positive effect, for Tiffany held her even tighter. A.J. was absolutely loving this moment. They hum "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" next until Tiffany realized "Hey wait a sec! How long have you finished eating?!" "Oh, I finished when we were humming 'Almost Paradise'. I didn't want to say anything 'cause it seemed like you were enjoying yourself" she tells her. Tiffany sits up and says "Oh. Well I guess I really was... Wait! From earlier, wanna go with my original idea and go back to the bed and cuddle?" Tiffany asked. "That would be wonderful" A.J. comments, realized what song they just sung to, and added "Do you wanna jam to your Walkman while we do that?" "Yes!" Tiffany exclaimed. Both girls get up, leave their dishes in the sink for later, and A.J. returns to the table to push in the chairs. Tiffany, thinking it was a great idea, spontaneously jumps on her back! Which caused one of the chairs to fall onto the floor. Tiffany hops back off, and says "Oops. Sorry." "Naw it's okay" A.J. responds. She bends down, but notices a fork underneath the table so she crouches down to pick that up first. Tiffany buzzes around A.J. and crouches in front of HER, donning her usual delightful demeanor, and brings A.J. in for a pretty passionate kiss, one hand taking A.J.'s very loosely. Once they have separated, A.J. breathes out "It's not my birthday, y'know." "Maybe, but I figured your kisses would taste extra sweet 'cause of the syrup!" Tiffany smiles. 

Back laying comfortably on the bed, with the Walkman in hand, the "She's So Unusual" tape from the last time A.J. used it was still popped in, but they flipped it to the other, less used "Side 2". The fantastic thing about their hand-sized, blue and silver cassette portable machine, is that it has TWO headphone jacks. They could share the one! Like it was made for this moment. Good thing she hasn't fixed her own Walkman yet, though even if she did, they would've each still have their own copy of the cassette to listen to. "She Bop" was a pretty damn fun song, the two girls propping themselves up, turn to each other, and singing "She bop, he bop, and we bop! I bop, you bop, and they bop! Be bop, be bop, a lu bop!" They give Cyndi the middle line as a solo, then jump back in with the "She bop, he bop, and we bop!" chorus again. The next song though, was "All Through the Night", and A.J. spent less time playing around and more time, just listening. And got a teensy bit emotional. She loved this song! It was so beautiful. But it caused her to feel "self-aware" and covers her eyes in her elbow, and saying "Gosh I'm such a sap..." She felt the weight of her girlfriend getting on top of her, and tells her "You aren't a sap. You're only being A.J." She appreciated that.

"Witness" plays next, and that pulls them out of the previous mood they were just in. They jam to it for a moment, then Tiffany jumps right up, hovering over A.J., almost causing their headphones to slide off their heads. Tiffany starts mouthing the lyrics to the song, having such a fun time, and A.J. drags her back down for a hug. She kisses Tiffany's neck, making her laugh, and Tiffany, trying to avoid the ticklish kisses, starts rolling, with A.J. tugging on. They both fall right off the bed! "Oh gosh that fall always scares me. Are you okay?" she asks Tiffany. "Yeah I'm fine! Wait are YOU okay?! You already got hurt earlier!" Tiffany asked in concern. "Huh? No I'm fine! Haha I'll try to tone down on tickling you" she answers her.

They hop back on the bed, get comfortable, and slip on their headphones and jump in the middle of "I'll Kiss You". "You know what this song reminds me of? Her singing, I mean" Tiffany brings up. "What song?" A.J. asks. "'Private Idaho'!" Tiffany answered. "From the B-52's?... Yeah, I guess I can kinda see that. Like how she's annunciating and the rhythm she sings in?" A.J. says, starting to understand. "YES! Yes! See, you get it!" Tiffany stated. "He's So Unusual" plays for a quick moment, the two quickly talk about how it sounds like it serves as an intermission of sorts, and it heads right into "Yeah Yeah".

"Hey we don't have to change out of our pj's, but we should at the least, shower" she suggests while the song plays. "You, wanna shower together?" Tiffany suggested. 'Shower together?' A.J. thought to herself. She's way more aware about her body in the day compared to the evening, when she gets off from work and she's too tired to care. But right now? "Uh Tiffany I don't-" A.J. tries, but Tiffany comes in with a "Please? It'd be fun! Plus I remember us together showering back at camp!" 'Camp?' A.J. thought, then remembered all those months ago. "Tiffany you didn't want to shower in that building all alone, and when I offered us showering 'together,' I meant at the same time in different stalls, which we did back then" she reminded her. "Hold on just a sec! I'm talking about the other few times that we DID shower together, in the same stall!" Tiffany reminded them. "Well, I mean, for that building, it's just, the light, it didn't really show through the shower curtain, so it was a bit dark..." A.J. tried to explain, feeling a bit bashful. But Tiffany slid those hands inside A.J.'s shirt again, reached to the center of her back and pulled her in. "Please?" Tiffany asked again, giving her a soft kiss. Or two. It was too enticing. "That's not fair, you know I can never say no to you" A.J. finally whines.

Tugged by the wrist as is her destiny by now, A.J.'s dragged to the bathroom and they shut the door behind them. Tiffany turns the "Hot" handle of the water counter-clockwise and the "Cold" handle a teensy bit clockwise for the water to start running. Meanwhile A.J. is leaning against the door, arms behind her back and messing with her own fingers, fidgeting. Though she doesn't perceive it as such. Her girlfriend takes off the gray tank top and shouts "C'mon A.J.!" Thinking she could maybe stall for a bit more time, A.J. utters "Hey, we should leave this door open and I can turn the stereo on, so we can have music in the background!" The look on Tiffany's face means that she didn't buy it. "Okay, okay, I'm coming" A.J. trudges along. As she undresses, she thinks 'I'm really making too big a deal out of this. I mean she just wants to do this! And I mean, I do too, kind of. I just don't like this body... But she seems to like it? Gosh I think way too much about everything.' Covering a part of herself, due to embarrassment, heads to the shower. 'I probably look like such a child' she downplays herself farther, until she makes it to the tub, and curses herself even more for getting the apartment with a completely white bathroom, and later deciding _herself_ to get a white shower curtain to make it "match."

But once she uses her free hand to pull the curtain to the side, she's greeted by a _delighted_ Tiffany, water running through her body. "Love-bug!" she exclaimed, and tries to carry her into the shower! A.J. however was still covering herself at that point, so her being "whisked" right into the tub didn't work quite as well as Tiffany probably hoped, causing A.J. to hit her leg. 'Okay, _that_ hurt a bit' she mused to herself as she crouched down to rub the attacked part. "A.J. I'm super super super sorry!," her girlfriend expressed, "Are you okay?!" A.J. looks up at her, and laughs, realizing she isn't covering herself anymore. 'This isn't that big a deal after all' she thought, and vocalizes "I'm fine. I guess our luck isn't so great. But... I was hoping if you'd try that again?" "Really?" "Really." Ecstatic, Tiffany, with the help of A.J. lifting her legs behind her, attempts round two of bringing the shorter girl into the water. It works, and the two are now showering together! Tiffany steps back a little to give A.J. a moment to get her hair wet. It was hardly even a moment, as Tiffany, being the bundle of energy as she is, couldn't contain herself and hugged A.J. from behind. Her hands are resting on A.J.'s stomach again. 'This might become a new hobby of her's' A.J. amuses herself of the thought.

Until her taller girlfriend started moving that hand towards her chest. Smirking, A.J. turns around and says "Well well well, someone's getting a bit 'handsy' here." "Well, it's okay, right? Plus you're super pretty!" Tiffany tells her. That compliment caught A.J. by surprise. It always did. "I'm not" she counters. Tiffany then says "Okay, fine, you aren't pretty." That comment stung way more than A.J. anticipated. 'I didn't mean it like that...' Tiffany smiles again and adds "You're BEAUTIFUL!" Anxiety vanished as soon as it appeared. 'This girl' she found herself thinking yet again in her life. A.J. decided to vocalize what she had realized, time after time again. "You're gorgeous" she says to Tiffany, albeit more serious than the situation called for. Tiffany didn't care about things like that though, and instead lit up when A.J. said that. "Aw, A.J.!" she said in awe, giving the shorter girl a big hug. Ignoring that small tinge of pain from falling two hours ago, A.J. brings them both against the white-tiled wall. Completely pressed against one another, she reaches up to Tiffany and lands a kiss. A long one at that, with the occasional mini breaks to catch their breath. The water making it more refreshing. "I forgot how nice this was. It really takes me back" A.J. reminisced. "Right?! Heck, back then we couldn't even lean against the walls! You would be like 'No we can't do that, we'll get splinters'!" Tiffany remembered. "Yeah, and with good reason! It was made out of wood! I can't have you getting splinters!" A.J. remarked. Tiffany looked touched hearing that, and gave A.J. a small kiss. "Although, I don't know if I like these walls. They're pretty cold when you're still showering, y'know?" Tiffany brought up, "Also, you're hogging the water!" The taller girl shuffles towards the water to warm herself up again, but still faces A.J. "Hold on, you can't leave me in the cold! I need to stay warm too!" A.J. complained. "Okay, then let's do this" Tiffany suggests, and positions them perpendicular to the shower head, "Better?" she asks. They're pressed up again, so one doesn't get too cold. "A bit" A.J. answers. "By the way you're still pretty" Tiffany stated.

"No don't blow dry your hair!" Tiffany shouts, both of them now in their bedroom, already back into their pj's but of course changed their underwear (they aren't barbarians for crying out loud!). A.J., who had the blow dryer in her hand, slowly sets it back down on the dresser. "... Why? Is it going to explode?" she asked her. Tiffany laughs at that weird guess. "I guess I watch too many movies" A.J. shrugs. "Nooooo. I just think it'd be fun without drying our hair while we relax" Tiffany explained. A.J. had to think about it for a moment, and decided to take a shot in the dark "... Because It'll remind you of us swimming?" "YES! You totally get me!" the taller girl stated, astounded. "I do, but that doesn't mean you should be lazy. You're practically making me finish your sentences" A.J. brought up, but as a joke. She's already realized that she can basically almost figure out what Tiffany usually means. Minus the relaxing on the bed idea from earlier. "It's fine it's fine. I know you don't mind!" "You're making fun of me" she remarked. "I'm not! I trust you" Tiffany stated. "In that case," A.J. begins, as fast as she could, picks up Tiffany bridal-style, and says "You wouldn't mind if I did this?" Looking absolutely giddy, Tiffany responded with "N-not at all!" A.J. then proceeds to speed-walk through the apartment, occasionally spinning in circles as she moves forward, Tiffany squealing. "Where to, madam?" she asks her. Tiffany points to the living room and demands "To the sofa, cap'n!" 'Captain?!' she asked herself, dumbfounded.

They finally moved over to the sofa, and plopped themselves on it. "Whoo! You sure know how to make a landing!" Tiffany said. "I try. But if my hair gets tangled up I'm blaming you" A.J. playfully warned. "I see. Well then! I'll be sure to take responsibility!" Tiffany responded cheerfully. A.J. leans closer for a kiss, but Tiffany stops her and says "Hold on!," and turns on the TV to her favorite channel, "We should have some music play in the background! It'd make this more fun! Since you suggested it earlier!" A.J. had to think about _that_ one for a moment, before giving her girlfriend a deadpanned look and flatly stating "... Really?" "Okay, this time I might be making fun of you," Tiffany admits, leaning in and gives her the kiss that was just held off seconds earlier, "Will you forgive me?" A.J. returns the kiss, "Absolutely, if you'll continue to have me?" Tiffany nods, and they settle into the sofa, getting comfortable and leaning on each other. A.J. could now see why Tiffany didn't want them to dry their hair, there was some, "cool" touch about it, and not the radical kind Tiffany always utters. "Hey, this really kinda does remind me of us after we'd swim" A.J. vocalized. "See? Isn't this nice? I can't wait for Summer to come back so we can swim again" Tiffany prompted. A.J. nodded. Since she was leaning her face on Tiffany's shoulder, she could feel, not firm, nor soft, but, relieving. As it always was when she felt her touch.

"Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash started showing on MTV. "Whoa this is such a throwback! I always loved this song back then! A.J. do you remember this?" Tiffany asked. "Yeah actually. The lyrics are a bit sad" A.J. answered. "Oh, are they? I don't normally ever listen to lyrics as much as I probably should've. I mostly listen to the, instruments? And how nice it all sounds, if that makes sense" Tiffany explained. "It does. And I get'cha. I do like this song a lot though" A.J. stated. "Oh? Why?" her girlfriend asked. "It reminds me of freedom. It came out a couple of months after we graduated, right?" "YOU'RE RIGHT, it did! You have such a good memory!" Tiffany complimented, and gave her a hug. She didn't feel that was worth a hug, but she'll definitely take it. Tiffany slips her hand inside A.J.'s shirt again during that physical expression of affection. Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You" music video played next on the channel. "Oh, I really like this song" A.J. commented. So, A.J. decided to do the same to Tiffany and moved her own hands inside the taller girl's tank. Followed by her leaning the both of them on the cushions. "And for the record, I like your stomach as well. Well, technically your everything, but you get the picture" she told her. Reciprocating the sentiments, Tiffany chuckles and says "I like your everything too. In fact I love it. I love you." A.J. leans in, hand in hand with her, and their lips make contact right on the big downbeat of the song, the synthesized keyboard dropping the descending lead pattern. "I love you too" A.J. responds, in case her kiss didn't convey it enough. Though she was sure it did; Tiffany took both ways of expression the best way A.J. could only hope she would. Tiffany smiled, lovingly, and took her into a hug. And held her. She never knew she was waiting for a girl like her to come into her life. Tiffany made her feel, happy. And she hoped she was doing the same for Tiffany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Cute Chapter! I was wondering what to write for the longest time for chapters 21 and 22, since I already knew what I wanted for 23, but I then realized I haven't really given them their own chapter in a long time! So I started getting super excited for it! In my notes for myself, i wrote 19 as "Tommy and Megan," 20 as "Tiffany and Harvs," and 21 as "cute?", hence me nicknaming it as such. It was fun to indulge myself to writing so much fluff, and I'll have to say this one is another of my favorites, like 4 and 13. I'm not good at all with writing smut, so this is literally the closest I could ever get to. I did listen to the last two songs mentioned in this a lot while writing, as well as The Motel's "Only the Lonely". Great songs. I hope you all loved this, and thank you again for reading. Be safe!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"No way, absolutely not" A.J. tells her. 'Well, so much for her never saying "No" to me' Tiffany thought, the both of them on the sofa per usual, sitting crisscross and facing one another. "C'mon, you'd look so cute! Just think about it again! Me, wearing your black tank top, denim skirt, with tights, and black high tops, and YOU, wearing my pink top, short shorts, and white shoes!" Tiffany tries to bargain. She wants both of them to trade outfits for a day, and thinks A.J. would look GREAT in it. Plus it'd be fun! "N, O, No. No way, no how. I can't do that" A.J. stated. "You're starting to sound like Harvs" Tiffany complained. "That has nothing to do with what we're talking about." "It does, 'cause you're being unfair! Just like him!" Tiffany said. "Tiffany, it's just those colors, that style just wouldn't fit me" A.J. tried to explain. "Do you not like it?" Tiffany asked. "No no no. I think it's great. You look great. You always do. Tubular, even" " _Tubular?!_ " Tiffany asked. She really liked that compliment, just because she knew A.J. really tried her best to express it using Tiffany's "slang."

"So if I always look great, then you'd definitely look radical in it too!" she affirms her. "Tiffany I don't know, I really wouldn't feel comfortable about it..." A.J. says. Tiffany decided to scoot closer and closer, and took A.J.'s hands into her own. She lowers her head and looks up so she could try to lock eyes with her shorter girlfriend, who was looking to the side again, brewing in those thoughts of her's. A.J. glances right into Tiffany's line of sight and is a little shocked, mostly from not expecting for Tiffany being that far below. "We can shelve the idea for now. But I want you, to at least think about it, even a little! Okay?" she asked A.J. Her girlfriend sighs, and says "Okay, I'll maybe keep it under consideration..." Tiffany felt her own eyes lit up. "Really?! Aw thank you! It'll be fun! Trust me!" she told her, giving her an appreciative kiss. "Also, tubular?" she further asks. "Tiffany, don't" A.J. pleads. "What? I really like that you said that! That made me happy! Thank you, A.J." She nuzzles the shorter girl's face with her own, cheek by cheek, A.J. saying "You're welcome, you're welcome." She starts sneaking her hand into A.J.'s shirt, so she can feel her tummy. Until A.J. catches her hand, stating "Nope. We gotta leave soon."

"We can't just hang out for a bit here before we head out?" she asks A.J. The latter starts laughing though. "Tiffany, you've been wanting to watch the movie for forever now. If we somehow miss Ghostbusters _again_ you'll never let me live it down" A.J. reminds her. "No I wouldn't! It would've been my fault if we miss it!" Tiffany said. "We can cuddle when we get back. We have tonight and all of tomorrow to do that. Right?" A.J. asked. "Yeah you're right... Okay! To the movies we go!" Tiffany shouted. Right before they got up, Tiffany grabs her arm, exclaiming "Wait! Just a kiss." "Sure." A.J. gives her one, and they then get up from the sofa.

"Wait!" Tiffany exclaimed again. "W-what now?" A.J. asked, looking pretty bewildered. Tiffany crouched down, and lifted up A.J.'s tank top a bit. She noticed A.J.'s leg earlier when they woke up, but they had since showered and changed to their regular get-up, so she couldn't see through A.J.'s tights. But she CAN look underneath the tank top. And there it was. The bruise was still there from about a week ago. Due to that race. Does it... "It doesn't hurt that bad at all" A.J. interrupts. Like she could read her mind. "Are you sure?" Tiffany asked. A.J. grabs her hands and pulls her up, "Yes, I am sure. It was an accident. Don't worry about it. Now let's go!" They slip on their kicks and Tiffany grabs the keys, jingling them and telling A.J., "My turn!" "What? Are you sure?" "OF COURSE! You 'motored' for us yesterday for work! So, my turn! AND my turn for Monday too!" she told her. A.J. looked like she wanted to contest against it, like maybe offer to do something else to compensate? But instead accepted her loss, 'cause Tiffany knew she herself was NOT going to back down when she declared something! Unless A.J. is legitimately uncomfortable about it, of course. She just wants her girlfriend to relax, that's all!

So they bounce, cruise a bit, and park near the theater! They walk, the two girls are hand-in-hand and swinging them forward and backward, forward and backward in an exaggerated motion. A.J. is probably used to her, shenanigans? Would A.J. think of what she does as that? Tiffany skips ahead for about six paces, and turns around to wait for her, shouting "C'mon A.J.! Today's the day!" She really wouldn't have blamed A.J. if they missed the movie this time, but her girlfriend is right; they really do need to watch it if they've prolonged it for _this_ long. A.J. merely walks though, probably tired from being on her feet throughout the entire week at Tower. Tiffany really couldn't blame her. She gives her a hug per usual, and head to the ticket booth. The movie didn't start until 7, and it was around 5 PM at the moment. "Since we have time to kill... Wanna walk around for a bit?" A.J. asks her. "Yeah!" Tiffany answers.

They continue walking on the sidewalk. It's a little cloudy today, but that's fine. 'Maybe we can check out some of the shops? They could have some new happenin' things' Tiffany thought to herself. Tiffany then heard something. Like their names being called out. She looked at A.J. just as she looked at her back, meaning that her girlfriend thought the same thing. So they aren't crazy. Then they hear their names called out again, the direction sounding like it's from behind. The two turn around, and it's Megan! Megan tried to pick up her speed on walking to catch up with them!

"Hey! I didn't expect to see you two today! How are you?!" Megan enthusiastically asked. Tiffany loved that energy and positivity! "We're doing great!" Tiffany answers, A.J. following up with "We're gonna go catch a movie in a couple of hours. What're you up to?" "Oh I was going to go shopping for the apartment. But you said you had time? Wanna hang out for a bit?" Megan proposed. Tiffany and A.J. looked at each other approvingly and replied with "Yeah, we can do that", Tiffany adding "I know where we can sit down and talk."

The three walked for about three blocks where Tiffany led them to a nice coffee shop. They got to sitting down, and the waitress took her order of a coffee. When the waitress asked for Megan's, she asked for a hot chocolate. Tiffany found that interesting. When it came to A.J.'s turn though, A.J. merely replied with a "Nothing for me." "You don't like coffee? How do you stay up on tough days? I personally can't stand it. I probably sound like a wimp" Megan stated. "I don't think it means you sound like a wimp. I use the sweet sounds of rock 'n' roll to keep me up if I ever need it" A.J. said. Tiffany knows that A.J. doesn't like bitter stuff, so she'll usually order for her girlfriend when others are around. So that way, A.J. can keep up with her "image." Still, she finds how A.J. said that to be pretty radical in her own right. Nonetheless, "Can you also get her a hot chocolate please?" Tiffany asked. The waitress nodded and moved along her way.

"So... She told you about, her... Secret, right?" Megan asked. It was about half an hour later, and Tina was brought up once again. A.J. nodded assuringly. "We were kinda surprised that she'd trust us so fast! Not that I'm mad about it or anything, we love her tons!" Tiffany explained. "Well from what she told me she, she said she saw how much you cared about each other first-hand in a sense, so she had some instinct that made her decide!" Megan said. "Aw! She's so sweet!" Tiffany commented. "She is" A.J. giggled. "But the whole, secret, didn't bother you two?" Megan asked. Tiffany shook her head, with her girlfriend explaining "Tiffany is pretty open-minded about stuff, and I, in some ways, know about being 'different,' so we separately came to the conclusion that having a power, or not being 'normal,' doesn't mean anything to how you are as a person. I mean, look at us." A.J. gave Tiffany a wink afterwards as a suggestion. Tiffany didn't really get the last part, but had a small suspicion it may had something to do with that Britney situation a month ago. "I'm surprised, that's, a very kind way of thinking. Now I'm starting to feel bad, I actually asked her to prove it when she told me about it" Megan laughed off. "I'm sure it's okay! She talked about you in a nice way, so she probably thought you meant no harm!" Tiffany guaranteed.

Megan appreciated the thought, then glanced at her watch. "Oh crap! I gotta head home! I'm so sorry you two I completely forgot! So the person who sold us the house misplaced the key to it, so one of us has to 'babysit' the house whenever the other goes out somewhere! Tommy has to do some effects at a studio tonight, so I gotta go!" "Whoa that sucks" A.J. commented. "Yeah, the person said he's gonna replace the locks to it in a few days, since he felt bad about it. That's why we didn't bother doing it ourselves" Megan explains as she gets up from her seat. "Oh, before you go, do you and Tommy wanna come to a Halloween party? Our friend Mitch is throwing one!" Tiffany suggested. She thought it'd be fun if they joined! "Yeah that'd be great! Here," Megan said, reached in her purse for a pencil and paper, wrote something, and handed it to them, "Here's our address and number! Call us more about it later!" "Yeah of course" A.J. said, taking the paper. The two of them got up to give her a hug, and Megan zipped right out of the shop.

"Wasn't she supposed to go shopping for her place?" A.J. asked. "OH YEAH. Guess it wasn't that important?" Tiffany shrugged. The two made their way back to the theater, bought some popcorn, and went into the room showing "Ghostbusters", picking the very back center seats. Tiffany lifted up the armrest separating the two, so they could get closer. After some previews of upcoming movies and settling in, the Columbia Pictures logo appeared! The movie finally starts!

Tiffany was enthralled by the beginning of the movie already, with the books flying behind the librarian. It sure helped that the musical notes added to atmosphere. They get to the librarian screaming away when more supernatural happens and the logo shows up! With the theme song Tiffany has heard PLENTY of times on the radio. The movie next cuts to some professor's office and it seems that he is testing two students perhaps? On ESP specifically. Tiffany frowned on such a thing, as she felt it was in bad taste, considering that both she and A.J. have a very very dear friend of theirs' that has similar powers. Though when the guy student walks away stating the five dollars wasn't worth the test, A.J. blurts out "Five DOllars?!" and covers her mouth with her hand just as fast as she had said that. Luckily the room was partially empty, surprisingly. So, they wouldn't be getting any "shushing" treatment from anyone tonight. Tiffany giggled and hugged the smaller girl, and continued watching whilst hugging her.

The MTV VMA host Dan appeared! As witty as she remembered him too. Them (as in this Bill Murray actor as well, from what A.J. talked about the day before), met up with this Egon guy, who Tiffany found pretty funny. A very science-y, straight man act, to the point. Later on this lady opened her fridge and some weird dimension was in it! 'Absolutely crazy...' she thought to herself. She thought the secretary to be clever, and the Winston guy was great too! He reminded her of them! Or at least she could relate to him more than everyone else. She found the movie really enjoyable, and so did A.J., who chuckled and shook her head every once in a while. They watched the entire thing, including all of the credits at the end, which the already few people left once it started. A.J. liked to stay for all of it so she can hear the soundtrack music used in the movie once again.

Carrying whatever was left of their popcorn, they headed back outside, which was very dark now. It always made the world seem a lot later than it actually was. Tiffany stretched her arms up while they walked. "MmmmmMAN that was a great movie!" she said. She was charmed by it a lot in the way A.J. was for that second Indiana Jones movie. "It really was. I enjoyed it a lot" A.J. agreed. Really happy to hear that, Tiffany wrapped her arms around one of A.J.'s, saying "I'm glad you think so! The Stay Puft Marshmallow guy was cute! I wish we had mascots that cute!" "Well we have that Pillsbury Doughboy, if that counts" A.J. brought up. "Yeah I guess so. But still! I really had a great time! Thank you for coming!" Tiffany said. "Tiffany you don't have to thank me, of course I'd have gone. Actually I'm sorry it took us so long to see it" A.J. stated. "No no it's okay! Don't apologize! Stuff happens. All that matters is that we're here! And together!" she assured her.

This was such a great day. She loved absolutely everything about it. "So what do you wanna do now? Head back home? You wanted to lounge around before we left. We can go for that" A.J. suggests. Now they COULD, 'cause Tiffany is all up for that! Nothing better than laying on one another! But a different idea popped in her head. "We can do that later tonight! And all day tomorrow too! Instead, wanna head to Megan's?" Tiffany now suggested. "Megan's? We just saw her earlier" A.J. chuckled. "I know! That's why! She'll never expect it!" A.J. thought about it, then grinned. "Alright, let's do it" she said. "Yes!" Tiffany cheered, and the two set off to drive to Tommy and Megan's place. Moorpark Street wasn't too far away. And thank goodness it was Moorpark the STREET, and not the city, which would've taken about 40 more minutes?

In any case, they had arrived soon enough! The residence was a very cute one-story house. Not nowhere close to as extravagant as the other houses close by, but still a house! Hand-in-hand again but for a small moment this time, Tiffany gives A.J. a quick kiss on the cheek, since she felt they haven't indulged too much into those today. Tiffany leaned a bit down and A.J. returned the kiss onto her cheek too! She wanted to squeal so bad, but doing so would ruin the surprise, so she held it in.

They make it to the door and ring the doorbell. A couple of seconds later the door is flung open with a Megan with the BIGGEST smile, then switched to utterly surprised right after seeing them. "Whoa, Tiffany and A.J.! Didn't expect you two THIS soon!" Megan said, baffled. Tiffany knew exactly what was up from that first expression on Megan's face. "You were waiting for Tommy! That's why you were so happy when you opened the door!" Tiffany smirked. "S-shut up! I was not!" Megan blushed. "Sorry sorry, I was just teasing" Tiffany said, deciding not to push that matter any farther. "We just wanted to visit you again, though it was more _her_ idea" A.J. said, probably wanting to dispel any confusion. "Yeah! It's not too late, is it? You can totally say it is if it is!" Tiffany stated. "No I don't mind! But..." Megan trailed off, and looks down at herself before laughing. She probably NOW remembered that she's wearing her pj's. "It's okay! We don't mind about that!" Tiffany assured her about that possible problem. "Then, come on in!" Megan invited. "Yay!" Tiffany exclaimed, rushing the three of them inside. It's time for a girl's night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Nothing much to say this time, just the two girls having a nice day. It's great to see Megan again though! I hope they'll be close as they are with Tina! But NEXT week will be the Halloween Chapter! And a special reason as to why that day is super important! Plus the explanation as to how Shelly, Vera, and Fox survived Part 3. Enjoy your Fridays!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

Anxiety creeping up higher and higher. Today is the day. Not just Halloween, though it IS her favorite holiday. This day is really important, no matter how A.J. would normally try to downplay it. She almost told Tiffany about it back during camp, but they were distracted and never finished that conversation. She wanted to bring it back up time and time again, but just couldn't find the courage to do so. She didn't want to sound conceited. Or that she didn't want anything. Even though she does, at least from her girlfriend. Or an acknowledgement. 'Man, I'm such a wimp,' she thought to herself, 'At least they can't call today' referring to her parents. She removed the receiver part of the phone off the hook, so that they wouldn't be able to call her. Tiffany saw her do that as soon as they woke up, but didn't really question it. A positive.

A.J. is just sitting on the sofa's armrest, waiting for her girlfriend. The two thought it'd be fun to surprise each other on what costume they're wearing to the party, so she changed in the living room while Tiffany is changing in the bedroom. For this year, A.J. is wearing a cheap, one-piece skeleton costume. It was only picked last minute due to thinking too much about how to tell Tiffany about today. The thing she should've brought up WEEKS ago. 'Alright' she declared to herself, 'I can't make myself feel like this anymore.' She hops off the armrest and storms towards the bedroom. Right when she passes their dining table, the bedroom door opens.

"Ta-dah!" Tiffany pronounces as extravagantly as possible. Her pose takes up almost the entirety of the door, one arm extending upwards towards one corner of it whilst the other copying the first, except downwards. As if she were a showgirl. But it wasn't the pose that caught A.J.'s attention. It was the costume itself. A red leather low-cut thong bodysuit. It was so low-cut that it had almost reached her belly-button. Luckily it was tied together in a crisscross fashion using a string to keep it together, otherwise, a "friend" or two could slip right out. A red garter on her left thigh, red forearm sleeves, red boots, and red horns on her head to add the final touch. A.J. could not even BELIEVE Tiffany would pick something that scantily dressed for a costume. Well, she should've. It IS Tiffany, girl of surprises. Though, A.J. can't say she hates it. In fact, 'God she's so hot' she admits to herself. Meanwhile, Tiffany, who looked like she wanted to role-play in a "naughty devil" manner, completely dropped her act when she saw A.J. She immediately ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug ever! "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh you're SO CUTE!" Tiffany squealed. A.J. laughs at such a reaction. 'This is why I love her' A.J. thought, happily reminded of how honest Tiffany is about her feelings.

"Tiffany, you're hurting me..." A.J. exhaled. Tiffany pulled them apart and said "Oh! I'm sorry!" Tiffany stared at her again, then jumped in for a second hug! " _Tiffany_ " A.J. said. "A.J. I'm sorry but you are literally the cutest skeleton I've ever seen" the taller girl explained. "Well, I'm glad that my bones make you happy" A.J. joked. Tiffany giggles, gives A.J. a kiss, and starts heading towards the front door. "C'mon! We don't wanna be late!" she tells her. Anxiety starts piling up inside of A.J. again. 'I have to tell her NOW' she redeclares to herself. "Love-bug?" Tiffany asks. A.J.'s left hand grips the top of one of the dining table chairs. A.J. looks back at her (she didn't even realize she was looking away), and, as best as she could, said the thing that a culmination of weeks and months of procrastination led up to.

"Tiffany, today is my birthday..." she finally said, weakly. "W-what?!" Tiffany asked, her face shifting from a smile to shock, "Today?! A-are you sure?! Wait, no, that sounds dumb. I mean, you aren't pulling my leg, right?!" A.J. sighs and shakes her head. Tiffany starts storming towards her, and A.J. begins apologizing with "Look I'm sorry I ju-" but stops when Tiffany grabs A.J.'s shoulders. "I don't want to hear it. Well, no that's not true I always wanna hear what you have to say, but what's MORE important now is that IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY. You shouldn't have to have a sad face! _A.J._ I love you so much I want you to be happy! So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Tiffany shouted, wrapping her into a big hug once again, but this time much more comfortable and warm, welcoming. "Thank you" she says, feeling a bit relieved. 'Here I am trying to be strong so she can depend on me if she needs to, yet here I am depending on her again. Is this really okay...?' A.J. finds herself thinking. " _A.J.!_ Be HAPPY!" Tiffany reminded her, snapping A.J. of those potentially intrusive thoughts. "Okay okay, I get it, I'll be happy" she says.

"Good... Wait! THIS is why you were hesitant on saying yes about going to the party! 'Cause of your birthday!" Tiffany realized, "I gotta call Mitch and tell him we can't make it!" A.J. grabs ahold of Tiffany's wrist before she can make it to the phone. "Wait! Since we went through all this trouble of getting dressed, especially you, we should, still go" she tells Tiffany. "Are you sure?! But it's your birthday!" Tiffany said. "Yes I'm sure. It'll be fun, and the first time we've seen everyone at once since Summer" A.J. explained. "Then maybe we can-" "No, do not tell _anyone_ that today is my birthday. I don't want anyone to know about it. I really really don't want to be the center of attention" A.J. stressed. Tiffany nods, next suggesting "Then, we're gonna leave the party early, okay?" "Only if you're okay with it, Tiffany" A.J. counter-offers. "Deal!"

Heading out of the apartment holding hands, A.J. asks "Humor me: what are you supposed to be anyways?" "A _naughty_ devil" Tiffany winked. 'Ah, so I was right on the nose after all.' The taller girl lets go, wraps her arm around A.J.'s waist, then pulls her into another kiss. Then squeals! "You're twenty-one now!" Tiffany shouts, clinging onto her now. "Yes, yes I am. Though you're about to hit twenty-two in a couple of months" A.J. brought up. "Then we'll just have to enjoy being the same age for four months!" Tiffany stated, "But it's okay! Because you're my little love-bug! I love you!" "I love you too."

They had to motor to Burbank to get to Mitch's place, but that wasn't too far at all. The directions Jenny gave her were pretty spot on, and in no time they finally parked in front of it. He had a really nice house. Two stories like Deborah's, except that the front door was far to the left side of the front of the house, half of it taken up by the garage, which was more made up by brick. The rest of the house was wood, painted in a very pale yellow, with white edges/accents, which was kinda cute, especially more so with the Halloween decorations. The driveway was already taken up by cars, probably owned by their friends', so they park in front of it and headed to the door. A.J. could already hear a lot of chatter, music, and just overall noise on the other side, so instead of ringing the doorbell, she knocks really hard to get someone's attention inside. Tiffany takes one of A.J.'s arms in excitement, and the door opens!

And there to greet them was Chad Kensington himself, wearing a black karate outfit with a yellow emblem, no doubt dressing up as that villain from the movie "The Karate Kid". He looked stunned, then pleased to see both of them. And for a very specific reason. "Chad!" Tiffany exclaimed. "A.J.! And _Tiffany_ " he says, eyeing the latter before A.J. punches his arm. "Ow!," Chad complained, "You're gonna give me a bruise!" "And it'd serve you right for not only looking at her that way, but also not even visiting us even once!" A.J. lectured. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Look, I wanted to see you, but I also just didn't want to intrude. I guess I was, a bit concerned about the two of you though" he admitted, though it looked like he didn't want to say that last part at all. 'We just got here and I'm ALREADY stressed' A.J. thinks to herself, rolling her eyes. A tug from Tiffany's hold convinces her to at least take the apology, especially considering today. So she sighs, and says "... It's okay. Happy to see you're doing good too."

The two are led inside, Tiffany telling Chad that A.J. is "The cutest skeleton in the whole world!", which DOES make her feel better every time she says it. "Why did you answer the door, Chad? Where's Mitch?" she asks. "He's already completely stoned. He's right over there" Chad answers, pointing past everyone else towards a couch. The courteous thing to do is usually thank the host for inviting them, so A.J. wanted to go do that first. She takes Tiffany's hand as they make their way to him (while saying quick hellos to others they pass by; they'll get to them later). They then see two others sitting with him on the couch, turning out to be Deborah and Adam! Deborah wearing a white bunny outfit, while Adam wears an army get-up. But not really? He has the boots and camo pants, sure, but no shirt, a green open vest, and a sash of bullets shows he watches almost as many movies as A.J. does.

"Hi A.J. Hi Tiffany" Debbie says to them, after being initially shocked by Tiffany's costume. "Debbie!" Tiffany shouts and jumps in for the greeting hug. "Hi Debbie," A.J. greets as well, then both she and Deborah share the same surprised reaction. "Debbie?" Deborah asked. "Sorry, this girl over here is influencing me a bit too much" she tells her, motioning to her girlfriend. "I understand," Deborah nods, and then sternly says "Tiffany don't start" to the taller girl who's smirking right back down at her. "What? I'm not doing anything. Anyways, hi Adam!" Tiffany said, after being coy just seconds before. "Hey Tiffany. Hey A.J." Adam says. "Hi Adam. I see you're as good as new now" A.J. complimented. "Yeah I'm doing great. I'm just happy to see you all again" Adam expressed, offering the joint to Deborah, who declined, then passed it to Mitch.

"Hey Mitch," A.J. says to him, "Thank you for having us." Mitch slowly turns towards her and says "Whoa, A.J., when did you get here? Your bones are starting to show. You might wanna put on some clothes before people notice." Tiffany bursts out laughing as A.J. replies "Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind. Is this really your house though? It's really nice." "Thanks man. Yeah, I inherited it from my parents after they passed away" Mitch explained. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that." "No man, it's okay. That's just life. Also did you see that cake in the kitchen? Who brought it?" he asks her. Deborah jumps in with "Mitch _you_ MADE that cake earlier today." "I did? Crazy" Mitch says. "I guess he was too stoned to even dress up for today" A.J. tells the still giggling Tiffany. "I guess so!" the taller girl agreed. Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" started playing, and Tiffany tells Adam "Adam! Did you know that this is Debbie's favorite song?" "Tiffany!" Deborah said in disbelief. "Hey really? Aw if I knew that I would've dressed up as Bruce for tonight! C'mon, let's go dance to this" Adam offered as he got up and pulled Deborah along. Deborah flashed a nervous, but thankful look to Tiffany, whereas Tiffany responded with a wink. A.J. looks back to Mitch, only to find that he had disappeared. 'I guess he went to go have a piece of his own cake' she presumed.

Shelly then comes from out of nowhere and makes a hand motion by A.J.'s ear? And reveals a quarter. "Oh so you're doing magic tricks now?" she asks him. "Yeah, Vera doesn't like it when I play pranks. She says it makes me seem like a jerk" Shelly says. She looks up and down at his costume, some kind of tux? "What are you supposed to be?" she asked. "From 'The Godfather'! Didn't you watch it?" "I don't think I have yet" Tiffany commented. "Wow that's a bummer. You should really check it out!" "Hmmm, maybe!" Tiffany responded, and Vera shows up as well. "Hi Vera" A.J. greeted, and the two girls gave greeting hugs to Shelly and Vera. "Vera you aren't going to dress up?" Tiffany asked her. "SHELLY over here didn't mention that this was a costume party" Vera remarked, donning her normal clothes. "I'm sorry! It just seemed kinda obvious. Also it slipped my mind! With all the studying and all..." Shelly said. "To be a lawyer, right?" A.J. tried to remember. "I'm still so proud of him" Vera complimented, patting Shelly's shoulder. "Did you two get here just now?" "Yeah we got here with Jenny and Kenny. They're here too" Vera explained. "They are?! A.J. I'm gonna go look for them real quick!" Tiffany told her. "Yeah that's fine I'll be here with these two" A.J. responded, gesturing the couple. A.J. gives her a kiss and Tiffany runs off.

All three of them deciding to sit on the couch, with A.J. asking "I know you probably already told Tiffany this, but how did you two meet? Especially with Fox too. You all seem awfully close." "That's a pretty interesting story, isn't it, Shelly?" Vera asked him. "Yeah, actually an old friend of mine years ago invited us to a cabin near Crystal Lake, and tried setting us up as a date. Then she and I went to get groceries in our friend Chris' boyfriend's car" Shelly started explaining. "Chris?" A.J. asked. "A dear friend of ours who's family owned the cabin back then. We all used to be called 'The Wild Bunch'" Vera chimed in. "Mhm! So we enter the grocery store, and start getting harassed by bikers! One of them being-" "Fox" A.J. guessed. Shelly nods, and continues "So long story short, that situation gets resolved, but then as we were leaving, I accidentally reversed, damaging one of their motorcycles! One of the bikers damages the windshields of the car, and I had enough, so I drove back around and ran over one of the wheels of his bike!" "I was pretty surprised he did that" Vera commented. 

"Then I saw Fox running out, and I had to book it! So I started driving AWAY from the cabin so they wouldn't harass the rest of our friends! Fox then got on her bike and started tailing us! For THREE whole hours! We circled through the town until Vera and I decided to stop the car and talk it out with her. Fox, however, did not agree, so Vera and Fox argued for a good hour." "I was NOT going to let her scare me! Especially if she was pulling that 'manners' crap, and not actually following through with it" Vera stated. "And we all ended up working it all out!" Shelly said triumphantly. "Wait, really?" A.J. asked, though she realized that they would have to if they are close by now. "Yup! We all kinda apologized, and since it was getting too late, that we'd head back in the morning. We even invited her to come hang out at the cabin, and told her to invite the other two of her gang too! She accepted, and we all decided to meet up back at that grocery store when we wake up. Shelly dropped me off back at my house, which my mom was SUPER thankful for, and he picked me back up in the morning!" Vera explained. "So you all ended up becoming friends and the three bikers became part of 'The Wild Bunch', right?" A.J. asked enthusiastically. Shelly and Vera, however, weren't so enthusiastic. In fact, they shared a look that Megan and Tommy shared when Tiffany once asked why Tommy was in a jail cell.

"When the three of us were heading back to the cabin, I think Fox noticed one her friend's bikes parked on the side of the road near the place, so we sped up. We then found Chris' van stuck on the only entrance to the cabin, which was a wooden bridge. All three of us immediately got out of our vehicles and ran to the cabin. We then found her boyfriend's dead body..." Shelly informed her. A.J.'s eyes widened in pure shock. "W-what?" she had asked. She would've expected some type of "Psych!" from them after a pause since it was Halloween, but that was not to be the case. "We found Chris. She was unconscious, but still alive. We found more of our, friends, in the cabin. They looked even worse than the boyfriend. Fox got scared, so she started calling out her own boyfriend's name over and over again outside. We followed her, as I carried Chris on my back, and we made it to the barn. We found a strange hulking man wearing MY hockey mask dead, with an axe on his head! Vera was too scared, so Fox and I went further in the barn and found her boyfriend Ali, hacked to death... Vera immediately came to Fox's side and allowed her to cry on her shoulder. We all then went back to the cabin and called the police" Shelly finished.

A.J. knew she shouldn't have, but decided to ask anyways. "That hulking man, was that..." she trailed off, afraid that her suspicions were true. Shelly nodded, answering "Jason," then trying to change the mood, added "Anyways, Chris got better after that, and Vera and I started going out after she lectured me that I should be more myself! And we started hanging out a lot with Fox too! We're happy to move to L.A.! And Chris is going to move out of our hometown too! We're all turning a new leaf!" Right when he said that, Tiffany comes back with Kenny and Jenny, A.J. just happy that they're all indeed moving on from that night. "A.J.!" her girlfriend exclaimed, pulling her up from the couch and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She spies the new couple that Tiffany brought, and couldn't believe one of their costumes. "Jesus Christ Kenny, not even Erik Estrada wore shorts that short" she commented. Kenny's outfit was of a generic cop costume, tan colored, but the shorts were indeed too short. "What do you mean?! I'm a sexy cop!" he tells her. A.J. looks to Jenny, and Jenny merely shakes her head. "Anyways, I like your costume, A.J. You look cute" Jenny says. "Thanks, I think you look really cute in yours" A.J. reciprocated. "Aw thank you! I love it" Jenny says before twirling around so her skirt can twirl with her.

Fox, in her normal attire, appears next out of nowhere and wraps her arms around A.J. and Tiffany. "Hey girls!" she greets. "Fox!" they both said. Fox lets go and gives Vera and Shelly a big hug. "Hey Fox, where is Vanessa?" Tiffany asked. "She's on the backyard talking to good ol' Bugzy. It's best not to bother 'em until they get back" she tells them. They hear knocking at the door, and when Kenny went to go open it, in comes a fairy and a zombie! Squinting, A.J. could see that it was Megan and Tommy! 'They made it!' she thought to herself. Chad looked very impressed at how real Tommy's make-up for it looked. He practically look TOO real. It was a little scary, even for 'The Rocker Chick'. Megan spotted her, and immediately made their way to them. "A.J.! Tiffany!" Megan shouts, giving both of them a big hug. "Thank you for inviting us! Who is hosting the party?" she further says. "Oh his name is Mitch. He's the hippie. You can't miss him, and no, it's not his costume" A.J. directed. "Thanks! Oh Tiffany, can you come with me real quick? I was hoping you could come with me to the bathroom to fix my wing!" Megan asked the taller girl. "Yeah I can do that! A.J. I'll be back!" Tiffany tells her, giving a quick kiss before heading off.

"Hey A.J. I know this is kinda sudden, but can I talk to you?" Tommy asked. Curious, A.J. nods and they both head out the front door. She sits down on the steps, 'cause there is no way she's going to stand for long periods of time since she already does so at work. Plus it's her birthday. He does follow suit though. "Is something wrong? Is this about Megan?" she began. "No no, nothing like that. She and I are doing great. I wanted to talk to you about Rob" Tommy says. This piqued A.J.'s curiosity even further. In no way would she expect the two of them to be tied together. "You went to his funeral. At first I thought that would've been normal, since you were probably just paying respects. Since you felt responsible for, that demonic horror. But now that we're talking about it I realized that Jenny didn't mention Tina going" A.J. deduced.

"That's right. I actually knew Rob from a very long time ago. I was twelve at the time. I met him when he was supposedly hunting for animals by the lake. I was living with my mom and sister there at the time. Turns out he wasn't out hunting, he was out to avenge his sister, who was killed a few days earlier by Jason's first killing spree. Rob, my family, and a couple of teenagers across my house were Jason's third set of targets. Shelly, inside, from what I found out, had a friend who dealt with Jason before us, marking that his second spree. All this in the span of seven days..." Tommy started trailing off into a tangent. He realized he was doing just that, so he went back to his point. "Long story short, Rob was attacked severely by that demonic horror. The fact that he survived at all is nothing short of astounding. Definitely a miracle. I didn't see him again until back in April when I heard the camp was reopening. Then to my surprise that Rob was the owner, of all people! I couldn't believe it! I came up to him and pleaded and pleaded to call the whole thing off. To not reopen. He just thought I was worrying too much, that Jason's been dead for years. He wanted to prove that the curse of 'Camp Blood' was over. It never was."

Through the whole backstory, A.J. felt like she could understand Rob a little better, and she was thankful for that. But she went through other emotions while listening. Mostly fear, every time she heard that killer's name. And what other people went through back then dealing with him. What could've permanently been if Tommy and Tina were not there to help months ago. But the other was anger, for being reminded of all of these things again. Anger for Tommy being so dense to actually pick the one freaking day of the year to talk about all of this. And Anger for not being strong enough. "Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked him. "It looked like, or rather, that you needed to hear the full explanation of what happened on Rob's side. For you to get over it" he stated. That pissed her off now. "I thought you were getting over all this" she commented. "I am, I'm just not sure if you're even trying to" he responded, too bluntly. "Tommy, leave" she warns him as she faces the yard. "Wait, but A.J.-" he tries to rationalize, but A.J. angrily faces him. And unlike the first time when they met, where Tommy was too preoccupied, this time he could witness her full fury, and got the picture. "R-right" is all he said, scampering straight inside the house.

A.J. sighs once he's gone. It was nice, and serene, outside. The trick-or-treaters have mostly gone back home. She looks up at the sky and thinks 'Well, at least it's a nice night.' Only the right half of the Moon was lit up, with some clouds. This quietness, was something she never took for granted. Though sometimes it could get a little too quiet. Usually it got a little too quiet. She hears the door open and shut, and none other than her girlfriend sits right next to her! "Love-bug!... Hey, are you okay?" Tiffany asks her, after giving a kiss. "Oh, just Tommy being an ass. I feel like I'm some guest star of the variety hour or something" A.J. wisecracks. "Do you need me to punch him? I'll do it!" Tiffany says, getting feisty. Seeing how endearing it was that _Tiffany_ offered to punch someone, A.J. laughs at the notion. "No no it's okay. It's just a little blip on the day of my birthday today, that's all" she assures her. "It's your birthday?"

A bit confused as to who said that, they both turn their heads to face who's in front of them, and they couldn't believe their eyes. 'No way!' she thought. "TINA?!" they shot right up and yelled. Standing before them was Tina herself. She also dressed up for the occasion; a black tutu with three fuzzy "legs" attached on the left and right side of her hips, and wearing black tights underneath her tutu, making a total of "eight" legs. A white t-shirt with a web design, a small spider swinging from said web by a single strand of thread. And a headband with a plastic spider glued to its side, complete with googly eyes on it. Tina mouths a "Hi" to the two, and they IMMEDIATELY give her a hug. Pulling apart, Tiffany asks "Oh my gosh what are you doing here?!" "Tommy invited us! Apparently Megan told him about the party you two invited her to, and he scrounged up money to fly us over here! Which I'm really happy about; it sucks being apart from you two from that much of a distance" Tina explained, behind her is classic Nick, dressed up as the hero of A.J.'s current favorite movie, Indiana Jones. "Hi A.J., Tiffany" he greets them. "Nick!" Tiffany shouts, and they give him a hug as well.

Tina takes A.J.'s hands and asks "So is it true? It's really your birthday today?" Getting bashful, A.J. looks off to the side and replies "Yes, yes it is..." Tina gives her a hug and proclaims "Happy birthday, A.J.! I love you!" Nick jumps in right after and does the same thing. "She's twenty-one now!" Tiffany proudly states. "If you'd have told us it was today, we could've gotten you a present or something" Tina comments. "No, it's fine. You being here is good enough for me" A.J. admits, Tiffany giving her a hug from behind, causing her to laugh. "Sorry," she continues, "I really didn't want anybody to know." "It's okay. Whatever makes you comfortable" Tina consoles. "And don't worry, we won't tell anybody about your birthday" Nick smiles. "Thank you" A.J. tells the both of them. "Nick you're awesome! Oh! You have to meet everyone else! You only know us, Tommy, and Megan so far!" Tiffany recommends as they head inside. "That could be fun" Nick considers, while A.J. is thinking that he'll need to stray clear from Victoria.

Back inside, Megan notices from afar and briskly walks towards them. "I promised myself you're gonna get it, Tina" Megan announces to her, and gave her a big hug of her own. "I'm happy you're here!" Megan tells her. "I'm happy to see you!" Tina reciprocates. It was funny seeing a fairy and a spider hug it out. A.J. spotted Tommy and gave him a "I'm not mad anymore" look. He seemed relieved by it. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if I'm turning into Paula" Megan absentmindedly commented. "Paula?" A.J. asked. "Oh! Sorry! Just thinking about an old friend! She was always so sweet and kind, and I've noticed myself being more grateful about my surroundings, and who I know, kinda like her" Megan explained. A.J. takes Tiffany's hand, who was standing right next to her talking to Nick, and flashes A.J. a quick smile. She says "I've begun to feel the same way as well."

The two have a bit more fun at the party, dancing, talking amongst their friends. Adam even asked Tiffany if she could show him some tricks on repairing, which she'd definitely accepted. A.J. casually roamed to the kitchen and spotted all the snacks and other treats on the table, including a cake! It was round and completely covered in white icing, decorated with an orange jack-o'-lantern! Tiffany strolled up soon after and took a potato chip. "Having fun?!" the taller girl asked. "Yeah? It's nice to see everyone, at least" she answered. "Wanna go home?" she next asked. "Can we?!" A.J. asked, albeit too enthusiastically. Tiffany laughs, not taking it personally, smiling "Of course, silly! Hold on." She grabs a plate, picks up a butcher knife, and cuts half of the cake?! She scoops the knife underneath the closer half, and tosses it onto the plate. "Tiffany!" A.J. said bemused. Tiffany lifted a finger to her mouth indicating a "shhhh," gave A.J. a kiss, and took her wrist, trying to speed to and through the front door as fast as she could take them.

Outside waiting was Tina. 'She must've set this up' thought A.J. "We will be here until Sunday, so that'll give us at least three days to hang out until we have to fly out" Tina tells them. A.J. gives her a hug and saying "Thank you again for showing up. We're always happy to see you!" Tiffany hands A.J. the cake, hugs, and confirms their feelings for Tina with "Seriously! We do! We love you a lot!" "We really do" A.J. nods in affirmation. Tina giggles at the amount of love for her (which they both absolutely would die from that adorableness), and reciprocates "Thank YOU for being so nice to me! I love you both a lot too. Happy birthday, A.J.!" They wave good bye and promise to hang out in the coming days.

Motoring home, A.J., in the passenger seat holding the cake, starts "About earlier, before we left the apartment. I'm sorry. I should've told you it was my birthday a LONG time ago. Like, when we were sharing each other's birth dates back at camp, we were interrupted, and I didn't wanna be conceited just bringing it up expecting anything." "Love-bug, it's okay! It wouldn't have been conceited! It's important to you, so you should share it! And it's okay to want stuff. Like even me, I want lots of, attention from you. And there's stuff I've been wanting to ask, but sometimes I too get a _little_ nervous. Like playing around with you! Would you consider them shenanigans?" Tiffany asked her. "Wait what do you mean?" A.J. asked. "Like, swinging our hands, or hugging you unannounced, and stuff. Am I going too far? Or being too silly, I mean?" Tiffany continued asking while still driving. 'She thinks about these kinds of things?' A.J. thought, then answered "No, of course not. I always thought you were just being you. I don't mind it at all. I, haha, like your touches, but also you being you of course! You look very happy, and seeing you happy makes me happy." She notices Tiffany started making the face she makes when she gets emotional and alerted her "Tiffany please don't get emotional and try to hug, you're driving." "But A.J. you're so sweet! But yeah, let's be even better about telling each other stuff, though for the most part I'd think we're already doing pretty great" Tiffany stated. "I think so too" A.J. remarked, amusing herself with that time when they confessed their love for one another.

Finally, they're back at the apartment, A.J. is trying to balance the cake on the plate, which isn't easy if it's literally not only a huge half, but also the plate being made of paper. Tiffany takes it out of her hands, however. "Geez Tiffany, I didn't expect you to be such a glutton" she says, hoping to get at least a small rile out of her. But nothing. Instead, she sets the cake on the dining table, returns, brings her to the sofa, and instructs "Sit down, and don't turn around." "Uh, ok?" A.J. obeyed. She was sure it was going to be some kind of surprise. Heck, it could even be related to the cake. After a minute, she returns with the cake, decorated with lit candles! Of course. "Ta-dah!" Tiffany pronounces for the second time that day, sitting right next to her. Then Tiffany begins singing to her the classic "Happy Birthday to You" song. A.J. couldn't take all the attention, and hid most of her face in her hands, practically _feeling_ her blush showing through the hands. After finishing, Tiffany takes A.J.'s hands away from her face and hurries "C'mon, c'mon! Blow the candles to make your wish!" She thought about it, and, remembered all the stories she was told by her friends earlier tonight, made her wish. 'I wish that she will overcome that horrible night.' She blows out all twenty-one candles in one go, and Tiffany claps.

"Yay! Oh, and I have something else for you too!" Tiffany tells her. "M-more?" A.J. asked. Tiffany winks, runs off to the kitchen, and returns with a thin white box, tied up neatly with a green bow. "I thought you didn't know it was my birthday" A.J. said. "I didn't! But I bought that and the candles, hoping that you'd tell me when your birthday was! I would've made your cake, but this one looks just as good!" Tiffany explained. 'Chocolate is my favorite flavor' A.J. muses. She unties the bow, removes the top cover of the box, and inside was, a black and green striped fabric? Seeing her confused, Tiffany pipes up "They're leggings! I saw them and I thought of you! I was thinking you'd look cute in them!" A.J. felt her face lit up when her girlfriend described what the clothing was. She pulled it out from the box and held it up in pure wonderment. "Tiffany this is so perfect it's so cute! Thank you so much!" she said, tackling Tiffany into a really appreciative hug! Tiffany herself probably didn't expect such a reaction, being pleasantly surprised. "Hahaha you're welcome! I'm just happy that you love it!" "Can you get more of these? They're so cute-I mean, can we go get more of these?" A.J. corrected herself.

"A.J. yes, I can get you more of them. Now then," Tiffany preps herself, and tackles back A.J. into a hug of her own, "THIS is for you being so damn cute! And being too sweet to me in the car!" "Sweetie, stop! You're spoiling me too much again!" A.J. pleads. "Kenny is right though, you are the best" Tiffany comments, referring to a month ago, then landing a kiss. Deciding to indulge herself just a bit more, A.J. takes her down on the cushions and held her, voicing "This was the best birthday ever. Thank you, Tiffany. I love you so much." "I love you so much too!" She didn't ever expect to have this amount of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Or, well, for them. I didn't really incorporate elements of the holiday too much because I really wanted to emphasize how important that birthday is to them (also I had already written too much and I didn't have room). Sorry I couldn't write down Victoria getting sloshed and commenting that Nick was cute before Chad had to pull her away. Tina definitely would've pouted at that, having her own flashbacks. Speaking of, I hope the retcon for the latter of the Part 3 movie sufficed. I thought it made sense. Rob's is a bit of a stretch... Then again, it is Friday the 13th. Anything goes. Next week, might be a LITTLE different. Stay safe, everyone!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

She was running pretty fast. She scans her surroundings, but because it was night time she couldn't make out where exactly she is. 'Come on, where are you?' she pleads in her head. It was at least a Full Moon, so it wasn't too dark. It's not even wise to be going outside like this, considering she has nothing to defend herself with. She didn't really know which way A.J. went. Should she even be trying to go after her? What if, A.J. was still drawing the attention of that monster? But she was too scared. 'A.J., _please..._ " She has to get out of these woods though. She was at a disadvantage. She needed to find the cabins again. She only went into the woods because she thought her girlfriend went a specific direction. She wipes her eyes away of any potential tears and starts rushing through the woods again.

The thin branches of the bushes scattered around flicks her legs pretty hard at the speed she's going, and yes, they did sting, but she has no time to worry about that now. She has to find her. She can't end it like this. 'I love her' she thought to herself. She hasn't even told A.J. that, and she doesn't want to make the potential regret of never being able to say that to her. 'Wait, is that...?' She spots a light from one of the camp's light posts, and makes a mad dash to it. There, she is at the dirt road, where it is lined up with more light posts. She takes a deep breath and begins to think rationally. Starting to make sense of where she is, she wracks her brain of where one of the cars was. 'Since Rob drove in earlier today, then that means it should be over there' she deduced. If she could find his car, then she could drive around and try to find A.J. Making her way down the path, jogging now to save stamina, she makes her way to the swim docks, by the beach where the two girls spent so much time getting to know each other.

Getting closer and closer to the boathouse, she sees lights flailing around. Once within view she realizes that it's some of her friends' flashlights on their belts! Wearing them and surrounding Rob's car was Vanessa, Debbie, Fox, and Kenny! The Head Counselor! 'Oh thank goodness!' she thought to herself. She bolts to them and immediately hugs Debbie! "T-Tiffany! Are you okay?!" Debbie asks her. "Tiffany!" the other three exclaimed. "Have you seen A.J.?" Tiffany asked. "No, none of us have. I thought she went with you after we all separated" Debbie answered. Tiffany's eyes begin to water up, explaining "After we called for help on the radio, we had to hide because _HE_ entered the cabin! Then A.J. told me to stay put while she drew that _animal_ away from me!" "Hey hey, it's okay. Don't worry, A.J. has a very good head on her shoulders. She'll be okay" Debbie assures her. "Deborah is right, Tiffany! A.J. is a bright girl! In fact, you two did a fantastic job of calling for help!" Kenny complimented. She was sure Kenny was just trying to cheer her up, but she appreciated it. "Trust your girlfriend, Tiffany" Debbie states. Tiffany nods.

"So we need to find more gasoline. It seems that someone siphoned it out earlier. And we need to look for the missing battery" Vanessa brought up. "I do have the keys so we won't need to worry about that!" Kenny states. Figuring out what was needed to be done, Tiffany volunteers with "I can look for the battery!" "Honestly, just whichever one you can find first. I'll go too. We're both the fastest out of this entire camp. The rest of you stay put and protect yourselves. And get the junk out of the back seats" Vanessa instructs. The other three agree, and the two set out to locate the items. It took her a while, but Tiffany was able to find the battery by a shelf of one of the smaller cabins. Picking it up, she bolts straight back to the car. Seeing a gasoline canister on the ground right next to it, she can assume that Vanessa had already found that first and sped even faster to get here. "I have it!" she exclaims. But her friends didn't look so enthusiastic.

Looking behind her, though very far in the distance, was a billowing figure hastily walking towards them. Tiffany's eyes widened when she realized who it was. Wasting no time, she forces the battery into the holder and tries to reconnect the terminals. But she shocks herself. She flinches and removes her hand away due to reflex, then tries again. Another shock. She tries again, but then another shock. 'I don't know what to do!' she freaks out to herself, most likely unable to do it due to fear. Debbie hurriedly pushes her out of the way and yells "Let me do it!" and begins working on it. Tiffany watched, helplessly, feeling absolutely useless. Debbie, however, was able to get it fixed up in five seconds tops. Debbie closes the hood and declares "All don-" until she coughs. They all realized why. On her back was a knife sticking out of it! She had been struck from behind! "Deborah!" the others shouted. Kenny ran to the driver's side and got inside, turning the ignition to get it started. While he was doing that, Tiffany wrapped one of Debbie's arms around her so she can carry her.

The car finally starts! But it was too late. That monster slams his fists onto the hood of the yellow car before the rest of them could even get inside of it. Concerned about Debbie's safety, she heads towards the nearest cabin to keep her safe. They head inside and she barricades the door. Once that was done she lays her on one of the beds, guaranteeing "Don't worry, you'll be okay." Breathing deeply, Debbie only nods to conserve energy. Tiffany finds a baseball bat resting on a counter. She picks it up and starts heading back outside, opening the front window and crawling out of it.

Now back with the others, she finds two of them already incapacitated. Vanessa was on the ground, side-first, eyes closed. Fox was leaning against the car, in similar circumstances. She prays that they aren't dead. Please. Kenny was the last to fight temporarily. Armed with an axe, he had already seemingly managed to damage the hockey-masked brute extensively. But still it wasn't enough. It was never enough. The thing kept on coming again and again. It didn't make sense. 'It won't stop!' Tiffany feared. But alas, the monster starts overpowering Kenny and pushes him down. It fiercely stomps on Kenny's left arm to pin him down. Kenny screams in agonizing pain, that pain making him let go of the axe, his biggest mistake. Then the brute picks up his axe.

'No, no, not Kenny! Kenny has helped us this entire time!' Tiffany begged. Her heart was beating faster and faster. But before she realized it, she instinctively sprints towards the both of them. She pulls back, and with full force, swings the baseball bat straight for his head, shouting with all her might "Why won't you just FUCKING DIE?!" The bat splatters into pieces. The monster, however, has its head cocked to the side, the mask knocked off from the impact. Tiffany looks down at the mask, at just the handle she's now holding, then back up at the demon. It readjusts itself and turns to look at her. And right then and there, she was able to look at what was underneath the mask. A face putridly rotting, nose cavity exposed, with only one functional eye in one of the sockets. It showcased the only emotion that thing ever expressed; anger. She was dealing with a being that shouldn't exist. Finally grasping the gravity of the situation she was thrown into hours ago, she realized true terror.

Dropping the useless leftover part of the former weapon, and convinced that her own feeling of being useless was as comparable as to what she just held, Tiffany did the only thing she could ever do. Run. She ran. And ran. Where? _Away_ , from pure terror. She couldn't think anymore. The only reason she wasn't crying at this moment was because she knew her tears would've made her vision blurry. She did think she was safe for a brief moment, as she was running the fastest she had ever ran in her entire life. But before she knew it, there he was, right behind her. 'H-how?! I was the second fastest runner in the whole district in school!' she thought to herself. " _A.J. please save me_ " she pleaded. She tripped, but luckily she pushed herself back up before it could grab her.

Spotting the washroom cabin, she grabs ahold of a passing memory that flashed in her head. 'The archery range is close by! If I can get myself a bow and arrow, I could maybe, MAYBE hit my target on that remaining eye...' she schemes to herself. She was a pretty good archer from what she did the past few weeks. Seeing as this could be her last chance, she takes a hard right and makes a beeline towards the archery range. She remembers there being quite a steep ledge up ahead, lined down with rocks to keep the "cliff's" path from crumbling, and to give the targets for the range an extra layer of protective walls. So she had to be careful about that. Getting closer and closer though, Tiffany abandons that entire thought process once she saw figures on top of the wooden platform. 'H-help me' she begged in her head. The brute then was getting closer and closer to HER. She was running out of energy. It attempts to catch her in its grasp, but narrowly misses.

"No! Please somebody help!" she cries out. There. Right there. She spotted a figure so familiar who had recently become so important to her. A.J. 'S-she's safe!' Tiffany thought, allowing herself the briefest peace of mind. But that proved to be her downfall, literally, as she forgot her stepping and tumbles down that hill with rocks. Covered in scrapes and cuts, she struggles, but nonetheless picks herself back up and trudges towards her girlfriend and the others. She could feel the one on her lip, and it felt a bit sore, but that wasn't too much of a concern. She was almost safe. Almost. At just short of twelve feet from the platform, the horror grabs her by her throat and starts to lift her. She gasps to breathe as she kicks her feet in the air. It begins squeezing until light blinds her eyes.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screams out. She shakes to get rid of that feeling, and is held down. No, not held down. Hugged? "Tiffany! Tiffany! What's wrong?!" 'That voice. A.J.?' Tiffany looks to her left, and there she was. That beautiful, beautiful, warm, "Rocker Chick" of her's. "Hey, sweetie, are you okay?" A.J. asks in a softer voice. Still feeling traumatized, she wanted that safe feeling that A.J. always provided for her, so, she cried, a lot, in her arms as A.J. strokes her hair and softly saying over and over again "It's okay, it's okay..."

It was a long couple of minutes until Tiffany was able to calm down. At least as much as to not cry and being able to think a bit more clearly. Still, she didn't want to be alone at all, even for a second. A.J. decided that they should shower together, and it was a great idea. Though she did less of the "showering" end and more of the "holding A.J." end. They go about their normal routine as usual. Well, almost as normal as they try to make it until A.J. finally asks a question.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare...?" That nightmare, a flashback from _that_ night, was the last thing she ever wants to think about, so she vigorously shook her head. "It's, just, something I didn't expect" she told her. Well, it was more than that, but she just wanted to forget about it and completely move on. A.J. pauses, next suggesting "We don't have to go to work if you don't want to. I can call my boss and tell him that I can't make it. It wouldn't be a problem at all!" "What?! A.J., no! You've never missed a single day of work your entire life! I can't have you break that record now!" Tiffany said. A.J. was slightly taken aback by that outburst, then chuckled. "Glad to know you haven't lost your strangely sharp memory of specific things" A.J. teased. "Of course I'd remember stuff related to you, A.J.! You're the best, after all!" she remarked. The shorter girl looked like she wanted to object to the compliment as usual, but decided to take it this time. Tiffany was happy about that. A.J. walks up to her, who was sitting on the sofa back.

"Listen. I know it's obvious, but you can talk to me about anything. From what we talked about in the car on my birthday, I do want us to get better about talking..." A.J. pauses, takes Tiffany's hands, and struggles to say "It's hard. It's hard for me too. But I'm here for you." Tiffany didn't want to think about "it" again, but she appreciated what A.J. was trying to convey, especially A.J.'s own fears stopping that. She loves this awkward love-bug. She brings her into a hug and nods. "I love you." "I love you too." Tiffany gives her a kiss and says "Sorry I haven't given you one when we, woke up." "Tiffany it's okay. Seriously. It'll be okay."

A.J. drops her off at Harv's, and sets off to her own job. Tiffany starts feeling a bit vulnerable again, though. 'Maybe working will distract me' she hoped. She walks past the old man and heads into the restroom. She changes into her gray jumpsuit, leaves the restroom, and makes her way to the truck she was working on yesterday. "No hello today? Did you lose your manners or somethin'?" he starts off. "Oh! Sorry. Hello" Tiffany greets. The old man hums, and gets back to working.

She hated to admit it, but she was doing really bad working. Not only was she slow, she couldn't keep focus. They weren't too backed up on cars today, so she and the old man were helping each other on repairs. Replacing brake pads was an easy chore. But she couldn't even do THAT properly. Before she could even attach the breaker bar onto the bolt, she fumbles and ends up dropping the long tool, yelping in the process. The old man, who was holding the calipers up for her, yelled "C'mon! Quit playing around!" Distraught, she replies with "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He stares at her for a moment, sighs, then tells her "Here, you hold onto it. I'll continue from here." Tiffany nodded, knowing full well she would've messed up farther if she continued the task.

A couple of minutes pass until they almost finish that wheel. He brought down the caliper "clam" shell and next grabs the torque wrench. But before he uses it to screw the bolt back in, he pauses. "I don't know what's going on, kid. And it's really none of my business," he says, setting down his wrench, and turns to face her, "But what you're feeling now won't last forever. You'll get over it, even if you don't want to." Getting emotional, Tiffany runs to the old man and hugs him! "Harvs!" she exclaims. "Geez, get off of me!" "You do care about me!" "This is what I get for getting into other people's lives..." he groans, then adds "That A.J. person you mention sometimes. The one who picks you up sometimes, right?" Her mood switching to a brighter one, she answers "Yeah! Uh-huh?" and urges him to continue. "They sound super important to you. Maybe let 'em into your business more. In that little head of yours or something" the old man suggests. "Maybe" was all Tiffany said.

After being reminded the time to leave, changing, and saying her goodbyes for the day, she walks up just as A.J. pulls up, in perfect timing fashion. The passenger window was open, so she felt compelled to be lazy today and dove right into it without opening the door. "A.J.!" she yelled. "Jesu-Tiffany!" A.J. exclaims, unfastening her belt and slowly helping Tiffany into the car, "What is this, 'The Dukes of Hazzard'?" "But A.J.!," Tiffany says, "I had to get to you as soon as possible!" "Hahaha, Tiffany I'm not going anywhere" her girlfriend laughs, giving her a kiss. Remembering what the old man said, she gets emotional _again_ and hugs the shorter girl! "I love you so much" Tiffany tries to emphasize to her. She could feel A.J.'s heart beating faster and faster. "I love you too" A.J. reciprocated. Uttering those words to each other has never once lost its meaning. Especially with the next words from Tiffany's mouth. "You're super important to me. I want you to know that." A.J. looks at her, amazed. Then she buries her face in Tiffany's shoulder, to hide her embarrassment and reciprocating "You're really important to me too."

Once home, Tiffany's mind was still thinking about how important they are to each other, and A.J.'s words in the morning about how she can talk to A.J. if she needs to. Then her thought process wandered off to the part that A.J. mentioned her own birthday. Which was on Halloween. Then she thought about the next holiday coming up. And that gave her a great idea.

"Hey! Can I meet your parents?" she asked. "My parents?!" A.J. asked, wide eyed. Tiffany nods. Her girlfriend starts doing that OTHER habit again when her unsureness flares up. Fidgeting with her own hands, A.J. continues "Tiffany I don't know. I haven't told them about you yet. Hell, I haven't even told them I'm gay!" "I'm sure it'll be fine! They're your parents! They'll accept you! They love you!" she tries assuring her. "I don't think it's that easy-" "I can go with you to meet your family on Thanksgiving and you can come with me to meet mine on Christmas! It'll be radical! Plus, I know that you don't seem to like your parents, so if you have me there, it should be better! For you I mean!" she says. "That would help..." A.J. admitted. "So?" Tiffany urges. "So, I guess we can do that..." "Yay!" she cheered, and gave her a peck on the cheek! "I better call my mom now and get it over with..." A.J. said, Tiffany patting her shoulder for support.

The shorter girl slowly makes her way to the phone, probably trying to prolong having the conversation. But A.J. makes the call nonetheless. Left hand on her hip and the right hand holding the receiver, the "love-bug" says her "hello", some "fine"s, ONE "thank you", and explained the switchero holiday situation. With some sighs thrown into the mix. It seemed to go over well, as right after sharing the conditions she followed it up with a "great!" Afterwards, she says the expected "love you"s and hangs up the phone. Turning around, she confirms "It's happen'en." Tiffany cheers again! Offering the receiver side, she asks "You wanna call your dad now?" Tiffany shakes her head, stating "No it's okay! I'll call him in the morning!" A.J. places it back on the hook.

But Tiffany rushes over to her girlfriend anyways, getting behind the girl, putting her hands on her shoulders, and pushing forward towards the sofa. "C'mon! C'mon! Let's go relax!" she exclaims. A.J. smiles and allows Tiffany to push her to their destination. They sit down and get settled, nice and comfortable, TV turned on. Legs on the coffee table, she says "We're gonna need to buy more ice cream when we go get groceries! I ate the last of it yesterday." "Yeah I saw the empty carton in the trash. We can get some, no worries. Though, I wish you would leave _me_ some!" A.J. exaggerated. "I'm sorry! I'll try to not be a fatty." "I'm kidding, it's okay. You're, uh, all the sweets I need" A.J. tries to say smoothly. Despite it not being so, Tiffany still loved it, and grabs her into a hug. "W-whoa! Okay okay!... But, uh, for real, can you save some for me? I actually really like ice cream too..." A.J. asked. Tiffany laughs, thinking 'I love this girl. Maybe I'll be okay after all.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I always surprise myself when I realize how fun, and a bit easier, it kinda is to write segments that have elements from the actual movies. Though I guess it helps that I've been watching them since I was a kid. It's interesting to see our taller girl's point of view from that Friday the 13th, but it wasn't pretty. Poor Tiffany. She'll get better though, don't you worry! The next two chapters might be a bit on the shorter end, but that's okay. At least it won't be as short as Chapter 3 (which is SUPER short looking back holy crap!). Have a great weekend, everyone!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"C'mon boss, you gotta do this! It's not fair if you don't!" Todd urges. Backing him up (which is a very rare occasion), A.J. agrees "As much as I hate to say it, and I really do hate it, Todd's right." The two decided that they and their boss should each take a turn once in a while to get lunch for the three of them. And to decide, they should play "Rock-paper-scissors". The loser has to not only pay for the winners, but also take his break last, as the other two take their break at the same time beforehand. They also decided to throw in a rule saying the loser doesn't have to play the next round to make it more reasonable, and the the winner of the second round will pay the third time. Then rinse and repeat. The boss seems skeptical, however.

"No way, y'all have probably already rigged it and decided beforehand which hands you're gonna pick so I can lose and pay for today" he assumed. "You know I would never do that. I'd much rather _him_ pay for us. Preferably every time if we didn't have these rules" A.J. expresses, gesturing at Todd. "Whoa! I'm not that much of a nice guy! I can't afford that much food five days a week every week!" Todd exclaims. "Stingy..." A.J. sighs, shaking her head.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Let's just do this already. Are we doing normal or adding 'shoot' at the end of the name?" their boss asked, referring to when they throw their choice. "Eh, the normal one is fine. No need to get complicated" A.J. says, waving her hand from the notion. "Alright," Todd prepares, and the three simultaneously play the game. "Rock, paper, scissors!" the three shouted and presented their answers. Two "scissors" and one "paper." A.J. spots the contrasting hand and her eyes follows the arm it's connected to, all the way up to the face of the owner. It was Todd, who was in complete shock.

"Uh..." he uttered. "Never ever pick paper, Todd. Chinese food. I'll have beef and broccoli, if you don't mind" the boss said. "I only want Lo Mein, then" A.J. adds. "Alright, alright, I'll be back" Todd says, accepting his defeat. And he heads off. The other two are left to their own devices once again, A.J. thinking 'Poor Todd. Maybe I could make it up to him... Naw, probably not.' She walks to their main display and fixes it back up to make it look neat. She also starts restocking a lot of the albums that have gotten low, from what she noticed when she scanned the store earlier. Her favorite thing. She was just happy that Todd hadn't gotten around to it earlier in the morning. It also gave her opportunities to check out the illustration covers of the vinyl's. One she always liked was Emerson, Lake & Palmer's second album, " _Tarkus_ ". Or how fun " _Fistful of Metal_ " from Anthrax's was. Heck, even "Mirror Moves" from The Psychedelic Furs is great. 'Maybe I'll get the vinyl version for that one at some point' she muses to herself.

A customer enters the store though. At least she heard the door. If she is quite a bit far away from the counter and she is in a good enough mood, she'll skip until she's in potential line of sight from anybody. Then she'll walk like nothing happened. She makes it the counter as the customer browses around. "Sunset Grill" by Dan Henley was playing, since his album " _Building the Perfect Beast_ " came out yesterday. More customers come in and she deals with them all, cashing them out, answering questions, and recommending bands based on genre. There's normally never a return or refund. Maybe due to A.J.'s extensive knowledge of music. Hopefully she even introduced someone to an artist that anyone would never even consider, and in turn loving their music after giving them a shot.

Todd finally returns with the food, giving both A.J. and their boss a chance to go on a lunch break while Todd ran the store. Eurythmics' "For the Love of Big Brother" was now playing. 'Guess the boss changed the record' A.J. assumed. It was a very good song; the album also having come out recently, supposedly a soundtrack to a movie she has not checked out yet. That specific song was, or has, an atmospherical feel to it. A.J. ate in the break room and the boss ate in his office. It always seemed like he was always in the office, but he at least helps out when there are tons of customers. And may even do other paperwork that not even Todd is aware of, since Todd himself is a manager. 'How he ever became one is beyond me' she shakes her head. Though, she will admit that he is pretty good at his job, despite his, being Todd.

Once she was done eating, she found their boss changing the record. "What are you doing? This album actually sounds pretty good" A.J. complimented. "I don't think the kids are gonna like this one, A.J." the boss remarked, "kids" being teens and people in her age group. She didn't take offense to that, that was just how he talks. Tiffany, on the other hand, might've found that upsetting, only due the name "kid" being thrown at her by her own job. A.J. chuckled to herself thinking about it. "What's so funny?" her boss asked. "Nothing" A.J. replied, still smiling. He pops in Madonna's " _Like a Virgin_ ", since it was selling really well at their store. She couldn't even imagine how much they're selling at the main Tower store on Sunset. She's a little disappointed he took out " _1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)_ ". It really is a great album. She could only hope that the album doesn't become a flop.

They return to work, giving Todd a break so he can eat, and once he returns, they continue working as normal. When it gets slow, she wanders off again to stock. Whie stocking though, she spots a vinyl she bought three months ago. And remembered an important little tidbit that a customer informed her of. She needs to go ask this favor before she forgets. She strolls back, past the counter, and heads inside the office. She closes the door behind her and comes up to her boss. "What's up?" he asks. "So, a few days ago I found out that there was this song on ' _W.A.S.P._ ' that was going to be basically the opening track. But it was cut due to some dumb parents spazzing out, and being morons. It was released as a single though over in Europe. It's called 'Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)'. I was wondering... If you can somehow get me one...?" "You want me to get a copy of a single that was an Europe-only release? A.J. do you realize how crazy that sounds? Like putting in a number for ONE item to order on the paperwork, it'd cost quite a lot of money. Not to mention if they'll even let me do that in the first place. I can't make magic happen, y'know" he explains. Her hands behind her back, fidgeting with one another, she responds dejectedly with "Oh, ok. Never mind then." Eyeing her for a moment, he goes back to his paperwork and sighs, stating "... I'll see what I can do. Don't hold your breath though." Feeling like she's lighting up again, she replies "O-okay."

"Oh by the way, Tiffany called again. Said that she'll need to stay at her job for an hour longer than usual. So you don't have to leave here right away" he relays the message. "Okie dokee" she tells him, and starts heading out the door. "Wait, A.J., lock the door for a sec. There's something I need to talk to you about." A.J. felt concerned by him saying that. Not once in her time here had he ever needed the door locked for a discussion between them. She does so and returns to her previous spot. "So things haven't been, the same since you returned from the Summer. Not only has this, 'Tiffany,' called every once in a while, but it was also the first time you've ever requested off not just Thanksgiving, but also Christmas and the days surrounding it too. Are you and Tiffany dating?" This was something she never EVER expected, something she never wanted to go through. Never here, of all places. She felt like her job was on the line. A place that, in a way, saved her life. But she couldn't lie to him. She didn't want to. Absolutely scared for the outcome, A.J. looks down and timidly nods. Normally she's tough, and would punch the lights out of someone questioning her, what's the word, preference? Orientation? But she owes him a lot. He's like an uncle to her, especially after the managers who hired her had moved on over three years ago. He next responds with something even more unexpected. "In that case, then please be careful. About who knows about it." The advice completely relieves her, and takes a deep breath hearing it. "There are, quite a lot of people who don't accept it, and might never will. Just please be careful," he continues, adding "Sorry I scared you." A.J. shakes her head and tries to brush it off like it's no big deal. But her still feeling like she's shaking proves otherwise.

Returning to help Todd, they get through cashing out the customers that start piling up. Since Tiffany was going to stay late, A.J. decides to help out for a bit, not deciding to leave until thirty minutes past her time. When she's heading out, she spots the boss throwing in Barry Manilow's " _2:00 AM Paradise Cafe_ " with the first song playing, no doubt to help him relax as he closes up later in the night. 'Barry's actually a pretty good jazz singer' A.J. thought to herself. Once she's outside, she dashes to her mazda, since it is starting to get colder and colder outside. She 'motors' through the streets, and makes it to "Harv's", parking right next to the driveway leading up to the garage doors, one of them rolled up per the norm. She leaves the car on, however, so it'll be easier for Tiffany to see where A.J. is at. "Beat Street" from Grand Master Melle Mel and the Furious Five starts playing on the radio. A.J. doesn't even realize it herself, but she starts dozing off and falls asleep, until Tiffany wakes her up!

"A.J.! A.J.!" Tiffany exclaims, shaking her shoulder. A.J. wakes up, quite a bit startled! "Oh, sorry! Are you okay?" the taller girl asked. "Yeah, just a bit surprised. I didn't catch myself falling asleep" she explained. "Your sleeping problem again" Tiffany points out. "Yeah, oops" A.J. commented. Tiffany gives her a kiss and states "No worries! I'm upset though..." "Why? What's wrong, sweetie?" A.J. asks, motoring away from the building. "Because! We can't enjoy the sunsets and dusk anymore! By the time either of us leave to pick the other up, it's already dark!" her girlfriend complained. A.J. quickly glimpsed at the night sky, then right back on the road as she answers, "Yeah, it kinda is a shame, really. Days getting shorter since Winter is coming up. We can still at the least enjoy our favorite times on our days off. But also wouldn't this mean that we'll just need to be closer together so we can find each other more easily in the dark?" Tiffany thought about that last part, and seemed to like it a lot, answering "I LIKE that idea! Great job, love-bug!" "I try my best" she says. "I know, and I love you for it." "I love you too" the shorter girl expressed.

A.J. senses that Tiffany is pouting again though. "You ok? What else is wrong?" she asks. "It's just, I can't believe we missed Michael Jackson getting his Hollywood Star today!" Tiffany complained. "Tiffany, we could've asked our bosses earlier in the week to have the day off if you wanted to go..." A.J. suggested again. She brought it up yesterday but like that time, Tiffany refuses. "A.J. I can't have you break your record of never missing work! Plus Thanksgiving is in two days! We already have _that_ day and the day after off!" the taller girl stated. "I suppose, but we could've made it a week vacation if we _really_ wanted to. Y'know, like how school breaks work?" A.J. recalled. "Oh! Yeah, we should take a week off together at some point! Man, that was the like, one radical thing about school! I miss it!" Tiffany wistfully remembered. "I, do not" A.J. said bluntly. She doesn't even want to consider thinking about those days. She decides to derail from it by bringing up another point.

"Hahaha you keep bringing up my 'record' for my store. I'm just, responsible, I guess" she laughs. "But your store is important to you! Speaking of, how was your day today?" Tiffany asked. "My day? Um, my boss asked me if we were dating. And I said yes" A.J. answered. "Wow! Radical!" "Tiffany it was not radical. I was really scared of losing my job" A.J. told her. "Why would you have lost your job?" Tiffany asked. "Why? Because, my BOSS of all people asked me. And like, what if he didn't like the idea-You know what, anyways, he just told me to be careful about who knows about us dating, that's all" A.J. finished explaining. "But why would we need to be careful?" her girlfriend further probed. A.J. didn't really wanted to get into that whole mess concerning society at that moment, so she exhaled with "I'll tell you about it some other time."

"Ok!" Tiffany shrugs, seems to ponder on an idea, then remarks "If you were scared of losing your job, then that means it really IS super important to you! 'Cause let's face it A.J., you're super smart, so you could practically get ANY job. At least I think so!" 'How does she always turn anything into something positive?' the shorter girl thought to herself. "I'm not sure if I could get _any_ job, but, yeah, I suppose that store was an escape for me. From school and home when I first started working there. Heck, I could finally indulge into something I thought I was only good at, and that was music. Something I was into since I was a kid. Maybe it really is important to me, despite it making me crazy a lot" A.J. expressed. "I knew it! But how come you never got into music? Like play guitar and start a band?" Tiffany asked. 'Wow, she has a lot of questions today.' "I mean, first, I would have to learn how to play one. And it doesn't look easy. Second, no one was ever interested in the type of music I liked, so that brief thought process was thrown out the window. I didn't really care too much about it though. Listening to music was the one thing keeping me genuinely happy. Though I now have another keeping me happy" A.J. states, winking at her.

"Oh? What else keeps you happy?" Tiffany teased. "Really, sweetie? You're gonna make me say it?" "Of course I want you to! That wink isn't good enough!" Tiffany complained, though A.J. was sure she was just messing around. Nonetheless, "Okay, okay. Tiffany, you make me happy. And calm. And relieved" she stated, with such sincerity. Tiffany beamed hearing that, giving her a hug. "You're too cute, A.J.!" the taller girl squeeled. "Tiffany, stop, I'm still-" "Oh, sorry!" Tiffany apologized, realizing that hugging while the other is driving isn't necessarily the best idea. "It's fine, it's fine. Also, sorry for babbling about my job so much. It's not exactly entertaining" A.J. apologized next. "What?! A.J., I LOVE hearing about ANYTHING that relates to you! I'm the one that's usually talking!" Tiffany assures. "Well, if things go well on Thursday, then I'm sure you'll hear _plenty_ of stories about me from my parents" she said. "Great! I can't wait!" "Neither can I" A.J. agrees, though much less enthusiastically. 'Though, she'll be there, so it should be okay. At least I hope so...'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another work day, another chapter. If you're curious about some album name drops I've written in italics, it's because those names actually ARE in italics. The studios probably decided it helps differentiate between the album and song if they share the same name. Like MJ's " _Thriller_ " is the album name, and "Thriller" is the song name. Also super sorry, I just realized that I haven't shown A.J.'s work day in ten weeks. It's fine. A.J. has a great environment to work at, a sweetie to see right afterwards, and that's just rad. Have a great weekend!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"At Alpha Beta's, the savings don't stop!" the choir proudly sings, with the spokesperson adding "Tell a _friend._ " The two girls were winding down after their day at work, watching TV. The commercial for the grocery store was playing, and it made Tiffany crave her favorite dessert. "A.J., let's go too!" she tells her cuddly girlfriend. "Go where???" A.J. asked, utterly confused. "Alpha Beta's, silly! We need more ice cream!" Tiffany informs. " _Again?_ " "Sorry" Tiffany sheepishly apologized. "Tiffany it is literally the day before Thanksgiving, the shelves will be picked to bones, and it'll be super crowded..." A.J. warns, "Who knows if they even have our favorite flavors?" "Let's go! It'll be fine!" Tiffany tries to assure her. A.J. however still looked unconvinced. 'It's probably the "crowded" thing that's getting to her' the taller girl thought to herself. "Let's just hold hands the entire time, so you can focus on me instead of them" she suggested. "Hold hands in _there?!_ " A.J. asked in disbelief. "No one will notice! They'll all be too busy trying to find what they need! Trust me" Tiffany stated definitively, trying to give the most promising smile.

"Okay, let's go" A.J. concedes. Tiffany jumps into her normal celebratory hug, shouting "Righteous! I love you!" "Do you love me because I said we can go get ice cream?" A.J. smirks. "No! I love you because I love you!... Wait, is this payback for me asking you on what else makes you happy yesterday?" she realizes. A.J. merely shrugs, trying to look innocent. Tiffany pouts at this. Her shorter girlfriend breaks character shortly after, saying "I'm kidding. I love you too. Tons." Immediately satisfied, Tiffany gives her a big ol' kiss! A.J. seemed to respond nicely to it, but broke it off with "Alright, let's go get more desserts." Tiffany jumps up from the sofa in excitement, pulling up her tired girlfriend right after. They tie their shoes and head on their way to the super market!

Right outside the store half an hour later, they could already see how packed it is. Many families piled in; it was almost like a concert. A.J. looked a bit uncomfortable, but Tiffany took her hand. "Let's do this!" she declares, and pulls her girlfriend into the frenzy, zipping left, right, zig-zag, through so many people. It was almost graceful how effortless they made it look. Tiffany would like to think it was because they were made for each other. As long as they loved each other, that was all that mattered! Though she refused to get emotional at the moment; she'd look silly doing that in a super market.

Making it to the frozen aisle, Tiffany and A.J. couldn't help but laugh. And she is especially ecstatic that A.J. was having a good time! Tiffany opens the glass door, the cold air greeting their skin, and grabs the strawberry flavored ice cream. "The last one!" she says in awe. "It's fate," A.J. comments, and stands there for a while, considering something in that cute head of her's. Tiffany is wondering what's up, until A.J. pipes in with "I need chocolate." She giggles at the request, and grabs the chocolate flavor too, which was the second to last on the shelf. Each of them holding their own flavor, hand-in-hand, so they don't lose one another in the hectic crowd, head to the checkout counter so they can relax at home again.

"Motoring" home, a slang Tiffany absolutely loves hearing from A.J., the former girl admits "Yeah, I didn't expect it to get THAT busy at all..." "I'm just a little bit surprised we found our favorite flavors in the first place. But yeah it can get pretty hectic the day before. My family would have to go sometimes for that ONE item they forgot to get. At least we didn't go yesterday" A.J. said. "Wait why Tuesday?" Tiffany asked. "People would think they're getting the upper hand by NOT going on Wednesday, which makes Tuesday all the even more terrible. My mom being a prime example once. 'Never again' she said" A.J. reminisced. " _A.J._ , it sounds like you're getting _homesick_ " Tiffany teases. But her girlfriend chuckles instead of taking the bait, stating "Only for the home we're currently heading to." That somehow made Tiffany's heart skip a beat. 'That's right, it IS our home' she thought. She always loved re-realizing that fact.

A.J. then shot up from slouching in her seat. "Holy shit it's 'Bad Boys Running Wild'!" the shorter girl stated in much eagerness, when said song started playing on the radio, guitar intro in full swing. Tiffany can't see too well since she has to keep her eyes on the road, but she can kinda make out her girlfriend air guitaring the solo. A.J. slaps to the rhythm or the drums of the hard rock song on her legs, jumping in and singing parts of the song that she knows, usually the chorus. "Bad boys running wild! If you don't play along with their games! Bad boys running wild! And you better get out of their way!" A.J. sang, then continued to air guitar. She especially seemed to love the part where the entire band came in and sang "WAY-Ay-ay" together, which she also sung. Tiffany loved every bit of her "love-bug" having fun.

Once the song finished, she asked her "Who was that song from?" "Oh! That was from Scorpions! You know them, they had that hit 'Rock You Like a Hurricane'!" A.J. perked up. "RIGHT, right! That song played a lot back in February and March! Okay!" Tiffany nodded. "I can show you the rest of the album when we get home! If you'd like, that is" A.J. offered. "Of COURSE I'd want you to! That'd be fun!" she told her. "Okay!" A.J. smiled.

They make it home again, shoes kicked off, and Tiffany goes to the fridge to store their ice creams while A.J. heads to their music. Tiffany next makes her way to the living room as well. Both girls are now crouched in front of their record collection, and her adorable girlfriend is flipping through it trying to find that specific album. And she found it. A.J. pulls it out and hands Tiffany the sleeve, which had a leather-clad guy with a mohawk necking a girl, who was on top of him. A.J., who was popping in the vinyl, said "Since we just heard the first song on the radio and the second song is 'Hurricane', I'm gonna put on the next one! It's called 'I'm Leaving You'!" "Yeah that's fine!" Tiffany agreed. A.J. takes her hand and leads them to the sofa.

A different, even greater guitar riff opens for the song, with A.J. commenting "God damn." Tiffany giggles. "I really love how a lot of them sing together for this one. They all sound really great! AND THAT GUITAR" she tells Tiffany. "This reminds me of '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' a teensy bit" Tiffany remarks, as the song fades away towards the end. "From Blue Oyster? I can see that. I used to listen to that one all the time back in junior high" A.J. reminisces.

The next song fades in, and it's honestly very beautiful. "Wow this one is so pretty" Tiffany complimented. "Yeah this one is 'Coming Home'! It's about to change soon" A.J. informed her. Before Tiffany could ask what she meant, the song indeed changes back into a more "thrashing" feel. A.J. jams to it a little bit, during the guitar riffs. "They should've kept it as a ballad! It was so pretty!" Tiffany complained. "Really? Yeah, it would've been nice. Wait 'til the last song" A.J. assures her. "The Same Thrill" plays next, with A.J. also jamming to that one, and commenting that she used to use it to give her energy before she headed to work.

A.J. gets up to flip the record to the second side, and "Big City Nights" starts it. "Oh, I know this one!" Tiffany exclaimed. "This one is pretty popular too from them! It just feels like a really rounded, whole song. So you can kinda see why it's popular," A.J. expressed, "I WISH I could go see them live, but I had just bought the mazda, so there was no way I could've afforded it." "I had money! You could've asked me!" "Tiffany, we didn't even KNOW each other yet" A.J. chuckled. "Well, yeah, you do have a point. BUT! If you came up to me and you were genuine about it, I'm pretty sure I would've said yes" Tiffany said. "Not even" A.J. taunted. "Even!" Tiffany replied, getting closer. "Not even!" A.J. stated. Tiffany got even closer, repeating, softer, "Even." They close any remaining space between them with a kiss. And maybe two more.

Until the next song starts. A.J. breaks off the loving contact, exclaiming "This song is so good! It's called 'As Soon as the Good Times Roll'. Listen to Klaus, the vocalist. His voice sounds so, triumphant! Like he has purpose." Tiffany giggles. "What?" A.J. asked. "Nothing, just funny how you broke off us kissing so you could tell me more about the song" Tiffany explained. "Oh! Sorry" A.J. apologized, probably feeling self-conscious. "No it's fine! It was just funny to me. It was cute," the taller girl said, "Though this is honestly a pretty good song." "Right?!" her girlfriend asked, lighting back up and bopping her head to the beat. "Crossfire" plays afterwards, which A.J. tells her that it has a melodical march beat to it, the drums taking the stage for that one.

Then finally. The last song, which A.J. alluded to earlier. "THIS ONE. THIS song. Sweetie, I love this one so, so much" A.J. tries to express, as best as she could. Tiffany nods, showing that she understood, next asking "What's this one called?" "'Still Loving You'" A.J. told her. "This is a really good song" Tiffany compliments. It was honestly a really good song, Tiffany hearing why it captured A.J.'s attention so much. A.J. stared off into the distance, like she could see through the wall of their living room. She allowed herself to take in the entirety of the song. Tiffany loved seeing A.J. like this, the way she took the things she loved so seriously. She had a certain "glow" to her. A side that she's certain not that many people would see, or ever get to see. How she would treat what she loves with so much affection. And Tiffany could vouch from personal experience. THAT she was sure of. "Just the amount of emotion, a hint of anguish you could feel from his singing" A.J. further expresses, with Tiffany nodding again. She wanted to especially make sure she took all of A.J.'s words by heart, since A.J. loved this song. But she didn't need to, since A.J. had very few words, wanting to still take in the song. Tiffany did admit it is a beautiful, and powerful, ballad.

Once the song ends, A.J. is still a bit in awe, but then groans? "A-A.J. what's wrong?" Tiffany asked. It was quite a mood change. "I just remembered that Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and that we're seeing my parents, and it killed my entire mood, hahaha" A.J. laughs. "Aw, love-bug, it'll be okay! Trust me! I'll be there!" Tiffany assures her. A.J. gives her a tired "Yeah", but the "Sweetie" was unconvinced by that response. So she takes her into a cuddling hug, cheek-to-cheek, saying "I love you, I love you tons." She could feel A.J.'s face stretching into a smile, returning with her own "I love you a lot too. Thank you."

The two hear a pop, slide, pop, slide, noise and look to their left, which was the turntable, needle riding the label. "Shit!" A.J. vocalizes as she jumps up to turn off her stereo. She puts away the record into the sleeve and shelfs it back away. Getting up and turning around, A.J. merely says "Oops." She starts rummaging back through their collection, however, and starts pulling out a sleeve Tiffany all too well recognized. "Since we're already here, how about we listen to-" A.J. offers, but is immediately cut off by the taller girl. "Put that skull sleeve BACK in its shelf, we are _not_ listening to 'DaDa'!" she voiced. "Fine" the shorter girl accepted. Tiffany motions her to come back, and A.J. does so. "Come get ice cream with me and we can relax instead!" Tiffany suggests. "Okay, okay" A.J. remarks. Tiffany hums appreciatively, running up behind the shorter girl, and starts pushing her towards the kitchen. Along the way she starts slipping her hands inside A.J.'s tank, her favorite hobby. She pauses, in case it isn't okay. "Yes, you can mess with my tummy" A.J. approves. Tiffany murmured a celebratory hum, and proceeds to do just what she was given permission to do, while A.J. gets them their frozen treats. "I love you!" the taller girl reaffirms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this a few hours later than normal. Sorry. A fun little chapter, not much to say, again. When looking up supermarkets that had existed around L.A. in the 80's, Alpha Beta stood out quite a bit, though only because their commercial amused me too much. I keep watching the 1982 one on yt. The sweet girls having sweets is nice. Next week we'll get to learn just a little bit more about A.J.! Yay! Have a great week!


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

They drive and drive, heading to the destination that A.J. did not want to go to at all. In fact, she would much rather prefer them spending Thanksgiving just the two of them. But that wouldn't be fair. They already spend so much time together, and she rarely shows up to her parents' place in person. They need to at least physically see that she is alive in their own eyes. "I've never been around this area before" her girlfriend comments. Tiffany is looking through the car's windows, in pure wonderment. 'She is most definitely a dog after all' A.J. amuses herself with. "I mean it only makes sense, since when we all went to camp, everyone knew each other in _some_ fashion, except for me. I was the only one who showed up without being friends with anyone. Kenny was the only person I talked to beforehand, and that was only 'cause of the interview for the job" she explains. "But now you have friends! And me! The most important person in your life!... I'm kidding, I'm kidding" Tiffany tries to joke.

"Well, I mean, you ARE the most important person in my life..." A.J. points out, trying to suppress her blushing from showing on her cheeks. "Stop the car" she heard the taller girl tell her. "Uh, okay" A.J. responds, going along with what Tiffany said. She turns to Tiffany, and Tiffany's eyes look like they're sparkling? "Do you mean that?!" Tiffany asks. "Y-yeah, I do. Is that bad...?" "No, not at all! You're the most important person in MY life too!" Tiffany expressed. Tiffany brings her into a kiss, and when they let go, A.J. pipes up with "S-stop it, you're going to make _me_ emotional." Tiffany laughs, following up with "Haha I'm sorry. At least being emotional is better than feeling dread. You're bottling it up again though." "Oh, sorry" A.J. apologized. "It's okay" Tiffany assures, rubbing A.J.'s arm, smiling.

A.J. continues, taking a left on a street and parking right in front of the house. "OH we were this close?! I made you stop right before it!" "It's fine, you didn't know" A.J. waves off the notion. She looks at the house, familiar brown paint, two-story building. She powers off the ignition, next rests her forehead on the steering wheel. Sighing, she vocalizes an "Oh lord...," hoping to get rid of her anxieties. Her right hand is taken by her girlfriend, however, who pulls A.J. into another kiss. She gives her a softer smile, stating the same thing from last night. "I love you, I love you tons." "I love you too..." A.J. reciprocates, appreciating Tiffany trying to calm her down. She gets up, exhales, and honks the horn once to give herself some strength. "Alright, let's rock n' roll!" the smaller girl declares. "Yes!" Tiffany cheers, and the two head out of the mazda.

It was getting a little cooler outside. The mornings tend to get even more colder, even at night time. So, they decided to show up in the late afternoon today, since it would be a little warmer. With the deal being to spend one night, per A.J.'s mom's request. The front of the house still had the flower beds that reached two feet forward. They were cute. "Cute flowers!" Tiffany seems to agree as well. The girl decided to wear "less-revealing" shorts for this trip, thankfully. Though A.J. has always thought that first impressions are bull shit, she didn't want to see any wide-eyed expression from her mom. She almost reaches for the door knob, retracts her hand, and knocks instead.

The two girls hear a muffled shout from inside, and Tiffany gives her a puzzled look. "My mom is probably calling for my brother to get the door" she explains. The taller girl nods. The door opens, and there was her brother, just as she predicted. Still with that shaggy haircut, the adolescent boy is taken aback by Tiffany for a split second before returning to his all-too-familiar bored expression. "Hey A.J. Hey A.J.'s friend. Mom and dad are in the kitchen" he tells them. "Hi!" Tiffany tries to greet, but A.J.'s brother has already turned around and ran up the stairs. "That's Danny, by the way." Tiffany nods again. They make it inside, and A.J. next whispers to the taller girl "I'm, going to, introduce you to them. Properly. Like tell them you're my girlfriend." But her anxiety starts to spike up, and she begins to breathe rapidly. Is this hyperventilating? "A.J. A.J. You don't have to tell them now. It's okay. We can tell them another time" Tiffany whispers back, trying to calm her down. A.J. herself forces down her breathing, saying "No, no it's fine. I gotta tell 'em now. I'm okay... Sorry." Tiffany rubs her back this time, making her feel a bit better. They rush past the living room and push through the swinging kitchen door.

And there was her parents. Her mom was still sporting what normal moms would wear to keep up with the "latest fashions," a purple button-up sweater, with four different colored stripes coming from the shoulders and meeting at the center, her hair reminding her of a former friend of Tiffany. And her dad, however, just wore what he always wore to work: a long-sleeved button-up collared shirt, this time a pale yellow, with his glasses, since he can't practically see without them, topped off with short brown hair. Like that Louis character from Ghostbusters. But the hair was already starting to recede. Luckily, she and her brother gained more of their genes from their mom, never needing glasses. "A.J.! And this is your friend Tiffany, right? Give me just a moment, I'm almost done with the dinner rolls!" her mom tells the two girls. "So you're the one living with A.J., right? How did you get to becoming roommates?" her dad had asked, setting down the newspaper he was just reading. She hated how they always assumed every single part of her life. Her heart was beating faster and faster. She couldn't stand it anymore.

A.J. takes Tiffany's hand and holds it tight. Really tight. "Mom, dad, this is Tiffany. My girlfriend. And no, I do not mean as in best friend. I mean it as in we're dating." There was a complete silence that engulfed the entire room before her mom finally breaks it. "Well don't just stand there, Tiffany! Give me a hug!" the mom exclaimed. Tiffany's face lights up and immediately goes in for the hug. A.J. sighs a huge breath of relief. "It is nice to meet you, Tiffany!" the dad pipes in, standing up from the table and shaking her hand. "Honey I can't believe you kept her from us!" A.J.'s mom said. "Sorry."

A good couple of minutes later (with shouting Danny's name to come back down) and they were all sitting down to feast, on the day that is normally meant for feasting. Her dad, however, decides to tell Tiffany about his career history, which would be okay, if A.J. and her brother hadn't heard it for the umpteenth time. "Did you know before we had A.J., her mother and I used to live in Silicon Valley? I worked there for a good number of years at IBM!" he began. A.J. decided to escape for a moment by excusing herself to use the bathroom. She did sorta needed to go, but it was also a nice excuse. Once she was done, she was washing her hands and peered at herself from the mirror. "A.J. my dear, you already look absolutely tired" she tells herself.

She heads back just as her dad was finishing his story of his move to L.A., ending with "... And because of switching to Microsoft it was THAT which caused her mother and I to move to the City of Angels!" 'Perfect, just in time' she thought to herself. "Oh okay! I see!" Tiffany says. The taller girl seems to be enjoying herself. 'Y'know, maybe I've been too harsh on my parents, or overreacting. They can be pretty nice. Tiffany seems to like 'em enough' A.J. considers. "You know, Tiffany, I wish you had gone to the same high school as A.J. She used to get into so many fights even when she was a Freshman! Picking fights with Seniors! Can you imagine that?! Even though she was getting A's in her classes! Maybe if you two had met sooner you could've calmed her down so she wouldn't fight" A.J.'s mom mentioned. A.J. rolls her eyes, immediately remembering why she wanted to leave the household a.s.a.p. 'Blaming me yet again, even though it was those damn popular kids fault' A.J. thought, though she'd never vocalize it to her parents. They'd never understand. "I just found them annoying, that's all" was all she could say for the topic. Tiffany, who looked at A.J. while she was chewing, sets down her fork and ponders on what the mother brought up.

"Well, the way I see it, A.J. is a very centered person. I have never met anyone else who always thought as much as she did. Nor to have been good at judging both people AND situations like her! I trust her completely. So I probably wouldn't have stopped those fights without a legitimate good reason. If she fought them, then she would've _had_ to, whether she wanted to or not" Tiffany said, with the utmost sincerity. The entire Mason family was shocked, even Danny, who was a bit eye-wide. A.J. herself felt like her eyes were sparkling this time. This girl, stood up for her in front of her family. Without being asked to do so. "Wow! That's an excellent point! Isn't that right, Carol?" the dad asked. "I suppose it is..." her mom responded.

Dinner finished, but still talking at the table (with the exception of Danny, who has ran back up to his room), Tiffany is questioned a bit, where she works, what high school she graduated from, and segued into another story from the mother. "Did you know, right before A.J. started high school, she dyed her hair to what it is now?" her mom asked. "I did actually! She told me!" Tiffany proudly stated. "Then, did you know she always tied her hair into a ponytail the entire four years? Always said her neck felt itchy, then just one day after she graduated, just decided to keep her hair down ever since" her mom continued. Tiffany lit up hearing that new information. A.J. meanwhile, was not having it. She didn't want that part of her life revisited. "Mom, can we not?" A.J. pleads. "What? I'm just sharing stories from when you were younger!" her mom said. "I don't like me being the topic of the day" A.J. complains. "A.J. your girlfriend here would probably like to hear wonderful things about your younger days!" her mom continues. Knowing that she'll just be ridiculed just like when her mom brought up those fights, she jumps in with "Bullsh-" "AMBER JANE MASON you will not be cussing at the dining table!" her mom cut her off, and A.J. is shocked. Not by being interrupted, but because she said her full name. Something that her mom promised she would never do when A.J. started high school. A.J. just gave up at that point.

They continue on in the living room, A.J.'s dad turning on the TV so he could watch the movie "Arthur", which came out three years ago. He loves that movie, and always tried to watch it any time it showed. "The Cosby Show" and "Cheers" could wait, which A.J. could totally understand; it really is a good movie. She still felt a little peckish though. She lost her appetite a bit when her mom was being, her mom. But now since the attention is away from her, she could eat again. With Tiffany preoccupied with her mom, and her dad glued to the tube, A.J. sneaks to the kitchen and grabs a roll. Or two. She eats the first one pretty fast, then makes her way back to the living room with the second one. Everything was fine for a while until her mom noticed her eating the last of the roll. "A.J.! You _know_ better than that to not eat in the living room!" her mom stood up and lectured. A.J. didn't think it was THAT big of a deal, since she and Tiffany ate in their own living room from time to time. Super annoyed, A.J. slips up a "For Christ's sake..." She then gets a small slap by her mom, stating "That's for blasphemy."

A.J. almost snapped from that action, her anger absolutely almost bubbling out, until Tiffany shot right up from her seat and says "Hey A.J. can you come with me to the bathroom real quick? I need help with something!" Her girlfriend grabs her by the wrist and drags her to said room. Once they get inside Tiffany tries to comfort her by caressing that cheek which was just struck and saying "A.J. I'm sorry..." The taller girl gives her a big hug. This makes A.J. calm down substantially, breathing heavily to try to get rid of the anger. "Do I have to go back?" she mumbles. "No! Not at all! You head to your room, and I'll try to follow as fast as I can! I just gotta find a way to cover for us!" Tiffany answered. They leave the bathroom and A.J. makes her way upstairs. When passing her brother's room, Danny opens the door, asking "What happened? Mom?" A.J. nods, saying "You got five more years with her, so I wish you luck." Danny groans and heads back in his room, A.J. trudging to her old one.

Stepping inside and closing the door, she gets to the bed and allows gravity to do its job, falling right on top of it. She flips over, stares at the ceiling for a moment, and then sits up to stare at the rest of the room. White walls and white ceiling, with the old brown wooden dressers. It was mostly devoid of anything that resembles someone living there at one point. She lets her mind take over, of what kind of things used to being stored where in this place, and feelings of those old days start resurfacing again as well. Tiffany luckily enters, breaking A.J. of that trance. "Hey" A.J. greets. "Hi" Tiffany responds, happily. The latter girl leans down and gives her a kiss. And one more kiss. "The second one was when you returned from the bathroom the first time, when your dad was giving his detailed report on his career" Tiffany jokes. "You never seem to miss a reuniting kiss, do you?" the shorter girl remarks. "Nope! You deserve all the kisses in the world, A.J.!"

Tiffany swayed left and right, looking like she wanted to ask her something. "Yes, sweetie, what is it?" Tiffany crouches down on the carpet, scoots close enough to put her hands on A.J.'s knees, and thinks for a bit longer. Now looking up, Tiffany asks "I know you might hate me for asking this, but can you please tie up your hair in a ponytail?" Feeling self-conscious, A.J. asks "Why?" "Because, I wanna see cute high schooler A.J.!" Tiffany answers, as honest as she always is. Reluctantly, A.J. does so. She reaches to the back of her head, grabs the bottom of her hair and ties it up as fluidly as could be with her hair tie, as if she was transported to the past. Her heart beating faster and faster again, she felt like a wave of vulnerability washed over her, reminded of her lonely life in her teen years. She curls her hands into fists and places them on her neck, where her hair normally was. Until Tiffany immediately takes them into her own hands. "Love-bug you're so beautiful! I would've loved to have met this A.J. years ago too! You're pretty" Tiffany assures her.

"Are you gonna call me by my full name now?" A.J. now asks. "What? No, of course not. If you wanted me to call you by your first name you would've told me what your initials stood for a long time ago! The fact that you haven't told anyone clearly means that you prefer to be called 'A.J.'!" Tiffany deduced. 'This girl is too considerate' A.J. smiles.

"I know I asked you this once, back during the Summer" Tiffany continues, "But what were you like back then? In high school?" A.J. habitually looks to the side once again, stating "I, was usually alone, and everyone had their cliques." "You told me that _last_ time." "Tiffany I don't like being in this room. It reminds me of those days." A.J. tried conveying. Tiffany glances at the old bedroom then looks back at her. "My music, and my posters, I took absolutely anything that made me happy and never looked back" she continued. "For 364 days of the year, right?" Tiffany presumed, pointing out the current holiday. "... Yeah. I don't like people, they used to give me anxiety. Despite me bashing their skulls in when they annoyed me enough" A.J. said. "Were you bullied by them?" A.J. immediately looked at Tiffany when she asked that. Stunned. A.J. wanted to sound cool, saying stuff like 'I never let them bother me,' but she couldn't. She'd never wanted to be dishonest to her. Instead, she said "Because I was different..."

Tiffany jumps up and pounces the shorter girl into a hug. Giving another kiss, she pouts and says "They'd be outta their damn minds if they were picking on the cutest girl I've ever seen!" That comment had put A.J. into a better mood, laughing with "Well don't you worry, I made sure they didn't get away with it." "Still! It's not fair! The assholes!" Tiffany continues pouting. 'That pouting face is too cute' A.J. thought, vocalizing "We should probably shower." "Oh! Let me go first!" the bundle of energy asked. "Yeah you can. Don't forget that-" "Our bag is in the mazda? I remember!" Tiffany pipes in. She runs off to go grab their bag full of toiletries and pj's before going to shower, leaving A.J. in her own devices, being in a much more positive mood. And two minutes pass before Tiffany drops by again, saying "What you said about you moving on for 364 days of the year. Well, I'M here. And instead of looking back to hurtful times for today, you should look at _me_ instead! So we can make every single day of every year something to look forward to!" And then she closes the door to head to the shower. That left A.J. chuckling. 'That girl...'

Tiffany got back later, gave A.J. two more kisses, and allowed the latter girl to go shower next. Once A.J. returned, she offers "I know today hasn't been as great for you as it should've been, since you wanted to hear stories about me, want me to tell you what I used to do as a kid?" "As a kid?! YEAH! Oh! But put your hair in a ponytail again!" Tiffany demanded. A.J. still didn't like to, but was a little happy that someone liked her in that hairstyle, so she obliged. "By the way, if you haven't tied your hair up in over three years, why do you still have a hair tie?" Tiffany wondered. "Oh that's 'cause I actually used this one to roll up the Sammi Curr poster. But I was so used to wearing the hair tie on my wrist that it felt weird without it. It was more of a bracelet at that point. So I got a rubber band later for the poster" she explained. Tiffany nods.

"Anyways, when I was a little kid, I never really watched TV. I would always listen to the radio. While reading, drawing, or just crouching right in front of it. Guess it added to my 'weird' factor" the shorter girl shared. "Not weird! But that makes a lot of sense! No wonder you didn't have a TV at the apartment when I moved in! Or how much you know about music! But wait! Almost two weeks ago you mentioned 'The Dukes of Hazzard'!" Tiffany pointed out. "My parents used to watch it a lot. When I would pass by the living room, I would catch a little bit of it, then continued on with what I was doing." "I see, I see, thank you love-bug!" the taller girl said. "For what?" A.J. asked. "For today! I learned so much about you!" Tiffany expressed. "Yeah, sorry I don't talk too much about myself. My memories aren't exactly, the greatest of times. What with parents like these." "We can get a hotel next time." "I'd like that."

It was a little bit later that night when they decided to go to sleep, lights already off and cuddling underneath the blanket on the twin-sized mattress. They couldn't see each other, but softly, the taller girl asks "Hey, doesn't this remind you of after our first time?" "It does" the shorter one answers. "Where we cuddled and I got to feel your warmth" Tiffany shared. "And hear your breathing" A.J. expressed. "I've loved you for a really, long time" Tiffany continued. "And I loved you for a really long time too. Hope that's not weird" A.J. reciprocated. She could feel Tiffany's head shaking at the notion of "weird," following with "Never ever. You're just being you. The only thing I ever want you to do." "Thank you." "Thank you." Tiffany shuffles a bit, felt what A.J. knew as Tiffany's nose right next to her's, and felt lips touching her own. And returned the gentle action with the same gesture. "Good night." "Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving? I guess you can go back and reread this chapter when the actual holiday comes around if you want! Sorry I didn't focus too much on the food aspect, as I don't ever really celebrate it? And I always have to work during that day. Also in hindsight I really wish I could've made the Christmas chapter for Chapter 25, since it would've matched the day. A bummer, to be sure. A.J. tries her best, and she's happy that Tiffany knows that. Until next time!


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"Simply, having, a WONDERFUL Christmas time!" she sings! " _Someone_ is enjoying the holiday spirit" A.J. points out. "Well of course! I LOVE Christmas! It's my favorite season! It's too radical!... Not that there's anything wrong with Halloween!" Tiffany stated, just in case her cuddly short rocker girl might say something about that. "Sweetie I'm not going to take offense to that, hahaha" her girlfriend laughs. "Oh okay, good! 'Cause your birthday is WAY more important than that holiday! Besides, you're in a super happy mood too!" Tiffany now points out. "Because I love Christmas as well" A.J. informed her. "You do?!" Tiffany asks, surprised. "I do. The music is different, the people are nicer, and I get to see Christmas lights. They're always so pretty. Though, it's kinda harder to see them when we live in the city as opposed to a neighborhood..." "We should walk by a neighborhood sometime, then! It would be night time too, so we could hold hands?" Tiffany urged. "Yeah that would be nice..." A.J. commented, spacing out thinking about it.

"You don't seem to get too cold though" the shorter girl continued. "Hm?" Tiffany asked. Since the weather was shifting colder and colder, especially when they transitioned into December, she had decided to go into her Winter gear, which was just an homage to her normal wear, what with the same colors. High-waisted pleated jeans, the color acid-washed, with a thin brown belt. And a pink sweatshirt tucked in. The colors really did match her normal fashion, but she misses her other top, which always hung off her shoulder. A.J. meanwhile wore more or less the same as always, except instead of her tank tops, she's now wearing black long-sleeved shirts, decorated with any one of her band's logos. 'She's so cute!' Tiffany thought.

"It always feels too hot for me. Usually why I wear shorts most of the time!" she answered. "Yeah I getcha. Though I have to say you look good in that get-up too" A.J. complimented. "Really?! You really mean it?!" Tiffany asked. Compliments were always the best! Not that her girlfriend never complimented her. Just that it always made Tiffany happy! "Yes, of course I do. You always make anything work. I mean, especially your normal stuff and all..." A.J. continues. But she looked away when she said that last part. 'Wait, her ears look red...' Tiffany perceived. She then decided to poke a little fun at the love-bug. "Oh? Do you like it when I wear my short-shorts? Or when my tops give you a taste of what's to come?" she nudged. "Tiffany, please..." " _Or..._ You'd like me to wear my 'Naughty Devil' costume again? We did have a lot of fun later on your birthday..." Tiffany further teased. A.J. turned to her and exclaimed "You're going to end up killing me! You KNOW I can't handle that outfit." "If I technically 'kill' you, does that mean you'll wear the skeleton one-piece costume again?!" Tiffany asked, albeit a little too excitedly. "Is what I normally wear not good enough?" A.J. asked, innocently. "What?! No, I didn't mean it like that! Love-bug, you always look too radical!" she assures, starting to panic. "I'm kidding. I'm happy you like what I wear though" A.J. said. "Oh. Well, don't scare me like that!" "Sorry." "I'll accept your apology if you'll let us hold hands for a bit" Tiffany asked.

A.J. looked around for a moment, then took Tiffany's hand. Her girlfriend seemed to really love holding hands, which didn't make sense to the taller girl. 'If she loves it so much, why won't she usually let us do that in public?' she was wondering. She didn't get it. Oh well. 'Maybe she's shy' Tiffany shrugged. She swings their hands forward and back for a while, and excitedly states "I really can't wait to hear this song again though!" "Surprised you didn't buy these earlier" A.J. said. The two were on their way back to the mazda, having bought Wham!'s "Last Christmas" and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Not at Tower Records, of course. There was no way her girlfriend was stepping inside that store if she isn't going to get paid for it. Tiffany has been wanting to visit A.J. at Tower, check out the workplace and whatnot, but she's not sure if A.J. would like that. Especially if this "Todd" guy she kept complaining about will, "be Todd," whatever that meant. He didn't seem like a bad guy. Just strangely persistent about the band Rush. Which is also surprising that A.J. hasn't heard a single song from them. Weird.

Tiffany hears that one song by that group Talk Talk playing somewhere in the distance. 'Augh, what was the name of that song?... Oh! "It's My Life"! Duh, Tiffany!' she scolded herself in her head. "Who's playing that song? The 'It's My Life' one?" she asks A.J. "I was actually wondering about that myself a second ago" A.J. responded, starts looking up, and finds her answer, pointing at a window on an apartment complex. The two stop. "Up there. Right up there" the shorter girl says, tip-toeing and using her free hand to continue gesturing at it. "I see it, I see it. Hahaha, thank you A.J." Tiffany laughs. "What's so funny?!" A.J. asks as they continue to walk. "Just seeing you tip-toe to make sure I knew! I like that" Tiffany confided, smiling.

"Although," she carried on, "They should be listening to Christmas music!" "Who's 'they'?" "The people or person listening to the Talk Talk song! They should be listening to 'Last Christmas'! Or even 'Silent Night'!" she voiced her concerns. "Sweetie, not everyone is going to listen to Christmas music twenty-four/seven for weeks on end" A.J. rationalizes. "But it's the season! And it shows up for a small amount of time every year! It's fun" Tiffany voices. "People are going to do what people want to do. Maybe it's their favorite song. I sometimes listen to mine during the season too" A.J. recalls. "That is true. You're right! In that case, let's go listen to your favorite song when we get home!" the taller girl suggests. "Tiffany we have two songs in that bag you're holding already! We should listen to those!" A.J. tries reminding her. "Well of course we're going to listen to those! We have freakin' Simon Le Bon in Band Aid's!" "Which is why I feel like you only bought that song just for your boys" her girlfriend wisecracks. "I! Well, you might have a point... But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't also for the spirit of things!" she defended.

"It's fine, it's fine. I mean I do the same thing with Todd Rundgren. And obviously we do that for Cyndi Lauper" A.J. chuckles. Tiffany hums in agreement. 'Wait, she mentioned Todd Rundgren before, back at camp. I wonder why he's important' she thought to herself. But before she can ask, A.J. continues with "Why didn't you tell me earlier about these two singles coming out? I would've gotten them at my store before you picked me up." "Hehe, yeah I kinda dropped the ball on that one. I was meaning to tell you, but I forgot! Like what I was telling you earlier? So many cars that want their heaters fixed! I only remembered 'cause Harvs and I were playing the Christmas station while we work! He likes the holiday songs a lot" Tiffany explained. "It's a good thing you remembered, since we bought 'em when it came out. We've been selling a whole bunch of 'em at my store today too. Lots of places would've ran out by the end of the week" the shorter girl informed her. They get inside of the car, with Tiffany at the helm, handing A.J. the vinyls. Tiffany thought of something for a moment, and decided to vocalize it, making sure she wasn't ragging on what they talked about earlier. "Hey A.J.?" "Mhm?" "'It's My Life' is a good song." "It is indeed."

Now home, after a pretty long Monday, they rush to take off their kicks and Tiffany waltzes to the stereo. "You're gonna put them on already?" she hears A.J. say from the kitchen. "Yeah! I just _have_ to listen to them!" Tiffany shouts back. A.J. returns with a Dr Pepper and Pepsi in hand, stating "We kinda heard them already on the way to here." "They don't count though!" "Oh? And why not?" "Because," Tiffany winks, and presses the play button, "We're listening to OUR copy of it!" She gives A.J. a kiss on the cheek, which A.J. returns, and they sit on the sofa, the latter handing her the Pepsi. Drums start off on the record Tiffany had put in, and A.J. already had something to say about it! "Those drums... Those are the same ones from Tears for Fears's 'The Hurting'!" the shorter girl figured out! And relatively quickly too. "Whoa really?! How can you tell?!" Tiffany asks, astounded. "I was trying to figure it out when my boss kept playing that song at the store. Now that I can hear it clearly..." A.J. started informing, but trails off so they can jam to it some more.

When the song from Band Aid ended, Tiffany shot up and sped to the stereo to replay it. "Again?" A.J. asked. "Of course again! We gotta hear Simon Le Bon! It's always a treat!," Tiffany states what she deems is the obvious, flopping on the sofa right when A.J. sips her soda, making the shorter girl choke. Tiffany instinctively covered her mouth in shock for a split second before rubbing her girlfriend's back, asking "I'm so sorry are you okay?!" Clearing her throat, and breathing, A.J. answered "Yeah, I'm okay. It's okay. I was just going to ask who the first one singing is." "Paul Young!," the taller girl replies, "I have his album 'No Parlez' if you wanna listen to it sometime!" Taking another sip, A.J. says "I'd be down for that. Paul Young does ring a bell."

Eyeing the Dr Pepper though, Tiffany decides to try to grab it from A.J.'s hand. "Tiffany, what are you doing?" "Give me a taste! I want some!" A.J. doesn't, and instead extends her arm holding the can AWAY from the taller girl. "A.J.!" "No! You have your own Pepsi!" "But I just want a taste of yours!" Tiffany pleaded. A.J. refused, and decided to chug the whole thing! "Meanie!" she pouts, as A.J. gets up to throw the can away. "I will say it's pretty impressive that THAT many big artists are singing one song together. All for charity too. It's very nice of them" she hears A.J. say from the kitchen. Tiffany, who also got up but to change the record to Wham!'s, agrees. "Isn't' it radical?! And the fact that Simon Le Bon, _AND_ Tony Hadley are singing TOGETHER. Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. Rivals. Together. Setting aside differences to raise money for the famine relief! It's righteous! Tubular, even!" she says. Her mind is _still_ blown by it.

She turns around and finds A.J. standing in front of the sofa, sipping another Dr Pepper. The shorter girl stretches out her arm holding the soda, this time to Tiffany, offering her some. Tiffany lit up and asked "Really?!" A.J. nods, and the two get cozy on the sofa, Tiffany taking a sip and handing it back, grabbing her Pepsi again. "Sorry, I was just teasing. I'm not a meanie" the shorter girl mumbles. "No, you're not a meanie! I didn't mean that. I love you!" Tiffany expresses. "I love you too" A.J. reciprocates. 'She really lets little things affect her, huh?' Tiffany muses to herself, and giggles. 'This girl is too sweet, even if she won't notice it.' They allowed the song play twice, since it gave such a holiday spirit to it. It matched their apartment, which was also decorated to match the spirit. It wasn't too hard too, since they used the thumbtacks that were keeping the posters in place to also hold up the decorum; stockings, tinsel, and "lametta," which is apparently just tinsel not attached to a thread and imitating icicles. She learned such a word from A.J. two days ago!

Tiffany gets up again and announces "Ready to hear your favorite song?!" "Actually can you play 'Last Christmas' again? I kinda like the song, and it's setting such a nice mood" her girlfriend said. "YEAH definitely!" Tiffany responds. She hops back on the sofa and cuddles with her love-bug. She turns them and gives her a kiss. Then does her favorite thing: allowing herself to touch the girlfriend tummy! "Wow I didn't mean that kind of mood. Are you really down for, sex? On a Monday?" the owner of the tummy asked. Tiffany immediately starts blushing. "A.J.!" she shouts, couldn't believe her girlfriend said that word. "Why are you blushing? You were the one teasing me earlier!" "Well yeah, but you can't just SAY it!" Tiffany loudly states. She still felt embarrassed hearing it though. So she jumped into a hug and hid her face onto A.J.'s shoulder for a moment. Tiffany felt like they had an unspoken rule that if one is embarrassed, they can hide in the other's shoulder while in a hug.

A.J. pulls them apart and smiles at her. "I'm happy" she tells her. "What? What do you mean?" Tiffany tilts her head. "Well you had a couple of nightmares since that first one, but you haven't had any this week, so I was just letting you know how relieved I am that you don't have to experience them" A.J. expressed. Something clicked inside of Tiffany. Like a gear stopped turning for just a split second. 'Nightmare?' A.J. seemed to realize her mistake, and hastily returned with a "Oh! I'm sorry! Shit. I didn't mean to bring it up like that. I know you don't want to even talk about it, god now I'm rambling..." Tiffany takes her into another hug. Though part of it may be to forget all about that recurring nightmare, another part is that _that_ girl's warmth makes her feel safe. "Tiffany I'm so-" "Shhhhh" she softly quelled the shorter girl's attempt at an apology. She just wants to enjoy this.

A while longer until A.J. breaks the silence and contact, reminding with "We should eat." "Aw, we should've gotten Pioneer Chicken on our way home!" Tiffany realizes. "On Sunset? That would've been pretty good... I don't wanna put my shoes back on, Tiffany," A.J. whined, "Can we just order a pizza again? We can get Pioneer Chicken on our way home tomorrow." "Deal! Although that's a lot of fat for two days in a row... I know! We should start going on jogs in the morning!" she suggested. A.J. gave her one of the most disgusted emotion she'd ever seen. "Don't make that face at me! It's good for you! We did it a lot at camp!" she said. "Yeah, and I wanted to die each time I did jog" A.J. grimaced. "But you rarely did! You only jogged when I asked you to." "Because YOU asked me to join you..." the shorter girl stated, looking off to the side. "I asked you because I liked you" Tiffany admitted, trying to make A.J. more comfortable in case the girl had something similar to admit, which she did. "Really? I only said yes BECAUSE I liked you" the girl also admitted.

"A.J.!" Tiffany exclaims, and jumping into her big bear hugs like normal. A.J. tries to get up, saying "Noooo let go I need to call for pizza." "No! Stay with me!" Tiffany pouts. "I'll be right back! The song is about to end anyways, so you can replay that again" her girlfriend suggested. 'She's right!' she thought, and shot right up to do just that! She waited for A.J. to finish ordering, and pressed the 'Play' button, reuniting at the sofa and cuddling some more! "May I have a kiss?" Tiffany politely asked. "Always, my dear" A.J. responded as courteous. They share a good number of kisses. They take a small break, but faces still close. "Y'know, I'm really enjoying this Christmas mood" A.J. told her, with a pretty big smile. She was practically beaming! 'Whoa...' Tiffany thought to herself. She was mesmerized by it. A.J. shifted to a puzzled look, asking "Huh? Is there something on my face?" "No! Nothing!" Tiffany shook her head. "Ah, there WAS something on my face. But now it's not there anymore" the shorter girl went on. "What? What do you mean? What was it?" the taller girl asked. She felt confused. A.J. cupped Tiffany's face into her hands and kissed her. "I'm sorry, I mean some-ONE. You." "Oh you!" Tiffany called out, giving another hug.

"It's a shame this apartment doesn't have a fireplace though" A.J. now stated. "To set the holiday mood even more?" Tiffany surmised. "Yes, it's such a wonderful mood. We could've, cuddled in front of it and warmed ourselves up." "We can warm ourselves up anytime! Like now!" Tiffany declares, resetting the song again, returning, and pulling A.J. closer, the latter resting on the former's shoulder. "I've been wondering," her girlfriend started, "Why do you blush when I mention 'sex?' Despite us, doing, such a thing. Often. Not often, but, y'know." Tiffany felt her own face heating up again, probably looking like a red tomato. "B-because! That's not a word you're ever supposed to say! Never! I mean, YES, um, we DO, 'it.' Just that, I prefer my, and our! Emotions take over during those moments... Because I love you..." Tiffany expressed. She didn't really want to dive that deep into her reasonings. "Oh. Okay. I'll try to not say that word then." "Maybe, I can try to get used to that word" Tiffany offered. "You sure? You don't have to push yourself. I only say it 'cause I like seeing your cute face when you blush" A.J. said, chuckling a bit, adding "I love you too, by the way." Tiffany squeals, and captures A.J. into her biggest hug! She's not letting go of this girl ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite season! Hello, everyone! Even less things to say this time, just that these two girls are the best and I hope reading about them makes you happy! They're sweet, and will tough through anything. I legitimately love love LOVE Wham!'s "Last Christmas" so much too. Give it a listen! Next chapter will be the Christmas one. If you're having a hard time lately in your daily lives, I wish y'all luck! Thank you for reading!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"But the very next day, you gave it away! This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special, special!" Tiffany sung from the bottom of her heart, Wham!'s latest hit playing on the radio once again. "And not once have you gotten tired of singing Christmas music the whole month" A.J. remarked, though in a loving manner. She enjoys Tiffany being absolutely happy, and the holidays really brings it out of her. "Because Christmas is radical! And today IS the day this whole month led up to! You love this song too! You've sung it sometimes!" her girlfriend pointed out. "Well I mean I did, you don't have to point it out though... I didn't think you heard me..." A.J. said, feeling self-conscious. She was hoping that the shower water would drown out her singing those couple of mornings. "But you sounded so cute! I want front-row tickets to your singing next time!" Tiffany complimented, "Oh, there! right there!" her girlfriend pointed, the direction being the sidewalk on her side.

"That's where my sister taught me how to ride my bike!" The two girls were on their way to the Cox residence, where Tiffany's parents live. Tiffany herself kept going on and on about how excited she was the closer to Christmas day they had gotten. A.J. felt a little nervous about it. 'What if they don't like me?' she thought to herself. Then she had a more worse invading thought. 'What if they don't approve?' Thank goodness she was thrown out of that bad trance again by her girlfriend sharing a childhood memory. "How long did it take you to learn?" she asks Tiffany. "Hmm... I'd say about an hour! I really liked riding a bike 'cause I could go even faster than my legs! But after a while I got bored of it and ditched it. I went back into running around. Guess I'll always be a runner" her girlfriend shrugs while continuing to cruise. A.J. stares at the area Tiffany pointed at, where it was just a sidewalk lined up on the side of two houses, their backyards back-to-back.

Motoring onward, the neighborhood where the bundle of energy grew up in was quite charming. Nice, two-story houses, but the houses were just a teensy bit more extravagant, on the upper-middle class. Not that it isn't bad, just, making a little bit more sense as to the building blocks of the popular kids wanting to "befriend" Tiffany. She didn't want to think of those cliques ruining a nice day though. "Sweetie, out of your dad, mom, and sister, who do you love the most?" she decided to ask. She wanted to tease Tiffany for a bit. "Who do I love the MOST?! A.J. that's not fair!" Tiffany complained, flabbergasted, actually thought about it, and tried with "Uh... Well... My... Sister! Not that I love my parents any less! My dad! He'll love you! He loves-" "Anything and anyone that you love?" A.J. finished for her. Tiffany stops the mazda and turns to her, softly reaffirming "Yes, anyone that I love," then loudly, "That's why today will go great! You're gonna have a good time!" Tiffany was right. 'It is Christmas day after all. What could go wrong?'

They seemingly pull up to the Cox residence, which is a bit astounding. A beautiful white two-story house with a red-bricked porch complimenting the front of it. Four white columns holding up the over-extending second-story. And a two-door garage connected to the left side of the house, which confused A.J. because the front of the house has a freaking HALF-CIRCLE DRIVEWAY, which they parked inside of, behind two other cars. "What do you think?" Tiffany asked her. A.J. gave her a dry laugh, and answers "It's uh, quite lavish." "Hehe, yeah. My dad sure makes a lot of money. Now then," Tiffany says, pulls A.J. into a kiss, and announces "Let's go introduce my family to the most radical girl ever!" "I'm not-" A.J. tries to deny, saw her girlfriend's loving expression on her face, and concedes with "Okay, I guess I am." "Great! Let's go!"

The two girls step outside of her car and make their way up the bricked-steps and to the entrance of the household. It was decorated very nicely; to match the season. Laurel wreaths on every window, and the edges of both the first and second-story roofs decorated with Christmas lights, but since it was still day time, they were currently not in use at the moment. And on a closer inspection A.J. found that the driveways were also lined up with pathway lights to match. The only thing she found weird though was that the lights for the inside of the garage were turned on. She shrugged and paused in front of the door. 'I'm going to meet her _parents_ ' A.J. starts to think. She's becoming a nervous wreck. Not as much as when they stepped inside of her own old house during Thanksgiving, but this doesn't make it all the easier. But as if reading her mind, Tiffany, who was about to ring the doorbell, takes A.J.'s hand and kisses it. And kisses her. 'I love you' she mouths, and returns to her previous posture and pushes the button. The two tones ring out.

Tiffany pushes the button again. And again. " _Tiffany!_ " A.J. exclaims. "The longer they take, the faster I push the button" the taller girl informs, not caring about the outcome. Finally the door opens and reveals a tall light-skinned older guy. Dressed in slacks, a long-sleeved button-up, with blue and white striped vertical patterns on it, and a red tie. He is actually taller than Tiffany, which could be a little bit intimidating height-wise, but his smile removes all sense of unwantedness. Though he did have wrinkles, or smile lines, developing around his mouth, which could either mean he is older than A.J.'s dad, or he was not aging well. She considers that it is the former since he seems to be in good shape, with his dark-brown hair in the classic side part style. "Dad!" her girlfriend shouts. "Hey Tiffany!" he returns the excitement, and the girl jumps in for a hug.

The father and daughter part, and the latter introduces A.J. "Dad, this is A.J.! She's the most important person to me in the whole World!" "Oho? Most important? What happened to your old man taking that spot?" the dad asked Tiffany, facing A.J. "Old man? That might even depend on which old man you're talking about, since she refers to her boss as one sometimes" A.J. wisecracks. "Hey, I like your friend! She's got a pep to her spirit! Sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Richard Cox. Her father, naturally" the dad greets, reaching to shake A.J.'s hand. "No, it's okay. I'm A.J. Nice to meet you" she also greets, taking his hand. She was quite surprised by his compliment. Never did she ever thought in her lifetime she would be described as having vigor. That's normally up Tiffany's alley.

Mr. Cox leads the two girls inside, and to their left is the living room, which contained a fireplace, making A.J. jealous. A bit. There was also a nice Christmas tree in the corner, though it didn't seem that "Santa" visited this year. 'Though why would he if there are no more children living here?' she rationalized herself. "Y'know Tiffany, I still think that it's just great that you're a car mechanic. With me being a car dealer, we should team up and create our own business!" Mr. Cox brought up, nodding approvingly. Tiffany pushes him lightly, laughing "Oh dad, stop being silly! There would be no way that it would work!" A.J. was happy to hear that Tiffany's dad was proud that his daughter took up a pretty tough career, considering that she is always proud of Tiffany for working so hard. "So how's Britney? I haven't seen her since you moved out" he asked her.

"Oh, turns out she isn't such a great friend after all..." Tiffany remarked. Before the girl could get into the details of it, another girl walked into the living room from the kitchen door, a cookie in hand, or rather, she was stuffing the cookie in her mouth. Tiffany spots the girl and immediately runs, tackle-hugging her and shouting "C.C.!" This C.C., almost fell backwards, but luckily caught her footing. "Tiffany, you can't do that while I'm eating" C.C. whines. "It's fine, it's fine! Oh, let me introduce you!," Tiffany says, runs to A.J., grabs her wrist, and the two run back to C.C., "C.C., this is A.J.! The most important person in my life!" C.C. looked a little surprised, seemingly never being able to keep up with her younger sister's energy, despite them growing up together for a good number of years. C.C. then smiles, saying "Hi, I'm Cynthia. I guess you would call me the older sister." "Hello, I'm A.J." the shorter girl greets. C.C., or Cynthia, was a little bit shorter than Tiffany, but still taller than A.J. Hair tied in a whale spout, with the same bangs as her younger sister, sporting a green Christmas sweater, and jeans to boot!

"What is A.J. short for?" Cynthia asks. "It stands for A.J." she dryly stated. She vowed that there will only be four people in the entire Universe who will know her name. Her family, and Tiffany. Well, maybe Tina if she asks nicely. "A.J., C.C. is a business woman!" Tiffany informs her. "Yeah, sorry you won't be able to see me in a suit today. It feels so much nicer just lounging around on my days off" Cynthia says. "What is it that you do, specifically?" A.J. asks. Cynthia seems like a nice person. Tiffany butts in, stating "C.C. don't bore her with your business talk! Oh, by the way where is mom?" "Tiffany I don't think her talking about her job would be boring" A.J. expressed. "No it's okay, it kinda is pretty boring," Cynthia admitted, next turned to Tiffany, answering "Mom went to see auntie, I guess." "Ah" Tiffany nodded. 'Cynthia seems a little TOO relaxed, so she must be super tired from whatever job she works at' A.J. deduced.

"Alrighty, it's time for presents!" Mr. Cox announces. He seemed to have disappeared or stepped out for a moment. "But you already gave me my present" Cynthia flatly states, taking another bite from her cookie. "He must be talking about my presents, then! Right dad?!" Tiffany asked. 'Oh, so Santa didn't forget after all' A.J. amuses herself with, poking fun at her own thoughts. "Of course, Tiffany! I wanted to wait until your mother returned, but I can't! Sorry A.J., there won't be any for you this year" he apologizes. "No no, it's okay. I wouldn't have expected any. It's fine" A.J. responded. Mr. Cox leads the three girls outside and towards the garage. "What did you get, C.C.?" Tiffany asks her sister. "I got a Compact Disc player! It's in the trunk of my car right now" C.C. explains. This immediately caught A.J.'s attention, who lost that giveaway promoted by MTV months ago. "A Compact Disc player?! Jesus Christ!" A.J. exclaimed. "You can come listen to it at my place anytime" Cynthia suggested. "We'd love to!" the taller girl said.

The dad seemed awfully quiet though. 'This must be a big surprise if he's not saying anything,' A.J. pondered, then realized 'Wait, if we're heading to the garage...!' She didn't want to assume, but that was the only conclusion she could come down to. Tiffany, who is walking in front of A.J., looks behind her to the shorter girl and gives her a smile. A.J. smiles back, brightening her thoughts with 'This family visit seems to be going very well at least. They're all really nice to me, and Tiffany's happy!' They make it to the front of the right garage door, and the father pulls out a radio remote for said doors, pushing the right button on it. A somewhat loud "hum" from the inside of the building begins playing, aural evidence of the mechanism doing its job, lifting the door. Once it was raised three-fourths of the way through, the girls were able to spot the white object. And when the door was completely out of the way, they finally saw the large cute pink bow attached to the top of it, confirming A.J.'s suspicions, and making her girlfriend gasp.

"This, I can't believe, dad...!" Tiffany stutters, turning to her father. "Merry Christmas, Tiffany!" he shouts. She runs to her present, which was a car. "It's-" Mr. Cox starts, but is cut off by Tiffany, with "The 1984 RX-7 GSL-SE Mazda!" Her eyes were sparkling. The girl turns around and jumps into his arms for a hug, shouting "Thank you so much!" Letting go, her dad pulls out the keys for it from his pocket, hands it to her, and grins with "So, does that make me your most important person in your world now?" Tiffany lightly slaps his shoulder and exclaims "No way! A.J. is the most important person in my life!" "What?! But-" her father begins but is then interjected by his other daughter. "Wow dad, you really out-did yourself this time. I'm starting to think it's a little unfair how Tiffany got a car for Christmas when I got a music player" Cynthia remarked. "Well it's only natural, Cynthia. You already had a car. I could've gotten you one, but you already bought your own a few years back. Plus, I think it's time for Tiffany to really make way into her life! Time to finally bloom!" Mr. Cox explains. The girls were too preoccupied with the car though, looking at the inside, Tiffany lifting the hood to view the engine.

Mr. Cox clears his throat to regain attention. "As much as I would hate to break the observation party, we should head back into the house for now. I promised your mother that she and I would show you the car together, but I couldn't wait," he tells his daughters, then all three with "So I'll need all three of you to pretend that you're surprised when we show you again with her. She should be coming back soon." "I can do that!" Tiffany proudly declares. 'She's not going to do that' A.J. chuckles to herself, with Cynthia following suit. Probably thinking the same exact thing. Tiffany is not normally known for being good at lying. But off they went back to the house anyways.

Once inside, Cynthia strolls to the kitchen to get more cookies while the two girls sat on the comfy couch, the dad sitting what looked to be his chair. Tiffany smiles at A.J. again before Mr. Cox asks "Why didn't you want to wait until next year for a car like that? I could've gotten you the latest model. It would've fitted you perfectly." "Oh! That's because I wanted mine to match A.J.'s car! The brand, the year, and the color! They'd look cute together! Like us!" Tiffany explained. "Like you...?" Mr. Cox questions, but couldn't articulate his confusion as Cynthia came back with what A.J. is assuming is the girl's favorite dessert. "It really is a pretty car. But on a different topic, A.J., what do you like? What are you into?" Cynthia asks. A.J. should've expected this kind of questioning, since she is obviously the stranger, the odd one out, especially her clothing. The only thing that wasn't black was her denim skirt and the green stripes on her leggings. Everything else was the darkest color, from her long-sleeved shirt to her high tops. So she started answering those kinds of questions, the dad also partaking in the interrogation. Like her job and how long she's worked there. Even a little bit about camp over the Summer, where the two girls met. But she didn't feel like she was being interrogated. In fact, it was a little fun. They were being very nice to her, and were genuinely curious about her, considering that Tiffany brought her to be with them on Christmas day of all days.

"What did you think about Tiffany wanting to be a car mechanic?" Cynthia further probed. "If that was what she wanted, then I supported her the entire way. I'm super proud of her, even now! Which may seem silly, but it was also very important to me, since it was important to her. We even had to have her drop me off at work using my car while she traveled to different shops asking for a job in the meantime" A.J. shared. She couldn't quite put it, but she felt that Cynthia probably really cares about her sister. "Aw, A.J.! It's stuff like this that makes you the best!" Tiffany says, getting emotional and giving her a hug. A.J. felt a LITTLE embarrassed by that action, but only because her girlfriend's family was right there. "Tiffany, honey, I don't think-" Mr. Cox starts, but is cut off by Cynthia again.

"A.J., when is your birthday?" the cookie-loving sister asks next. "My BIRTHDAY?" A.J. didn't really wanted to share that information at all. She doesn't want anyone outside her comfort zone knowing about it. But, she did want today to go well for her girlfriend. "October 31st" she answered. "Halloween?" the dad asked, astounded. A.J. nodded. "Isn't that such a great day for a birthday?! Oh and you should've SEEN her costume! She was _so_ CUTE! I wanted to give her so many hugs and kisses!" Tiffany gushed. " _Tiffany!_ " A.J. exclaims. "What? It's true!" Tiffany rebutted. "Tiffany you shouldn't be saying those things. People are going to get the wrong idea" her father stated. "The wrong idea? There's nothing wrong to assume here!," Tiffany said, jumped up from her seat, jogged around the sofa, hugged her arms around A.J.'s neck and continued "I love her! She's my girlfriend! That's all there is to it!" A.J. wasn't sure if Tiffany should've said that, considering she was put in an awkward position. But the fact that Tiffany proudly declared that, it made her happy.

"No." Hold on. Did he say no? "No? No what?" the taller girl asked. She looked utterly confused. "You're just being silly. She isn't your girlfriend" he assumed. "Yes, she is" Tiffany stated. "No, absolutely not" he repeated. "YES, she IS. What's wrong with you? Why are you saying these things?" Tiffany asked. 'No no no this is not good' A.J. thought. "Tiffany, as I'm sure as you would know, guys shouldn't be with guys, and girls shouldn't be with girls" he tried to rationalize, as A.J. would call in his 'sick, twisted, mindset.' "Dad, I'm sorry, but that is the DUMBEST thing you have ever said" she stated, flabbergasted by his words. "Tiffany do _not_ disrespect me like that!" "Well I'm sorry, I didn't know you would sound _this_ much like a moron!" she raised her voice, gesturing her hand at him. "Tiffany you will take that back this instant!" Mr. Cox demanded. "No I will NOT!," Tiffany shouted, her eyes seemingly watery, "You know just as little about love as Britney!"

"Maybe you should apologize to Britney if she tried talking to you out of this, mess of what you think a relationship is. Seems to me that your life has gone downhill ever since you met this troublemaker over the Summer" he gestures at A.J. She didn't expect such a direct, hurtful attack to her. From her original feeling of wanting to stand up and punch her girlfriend's dad in the face, completely shattered and brought her to her almost deepest thoughts of despair. 'There's nothing wrong with me...' Tiffany looked down at A.J., then quickly back up at her father. "You leave her _out of this._ " "Tiffany I will not have members of my family involved in such repulsive situations. Now, call it off with her right now, and we can forget that all of this ever happened" he pressured. Tiffany pauses, scans the entire room, next at A.J., then back at her father. Silence looms over their entire surroundings.

Finally, the taller girl breaks the silence. "A.J., can you get up please?" "Yes, there you go, you're coming to your senses now" A.J. hears the father say triumphantly. Her mind wanders for a moment to that little story of Tiffany learning bike riding before returning to running, and even thought for the most miniscule of a second that her girlfriend would go with her dad on this one too, being discarded like the bike. She even finds her own eyes watering, not only from a potential bad news, but also from letting her stupid fear getting the better of her. "A.J." she hears her girlfriend call her name again. A.J. snaps out of it and stands up, facing the taller girl.

Then she, and probably the rest of the audience in the room, are shocked by the next action. Tiffany takes A.J.'s left hand with her own right hand. And squeezes real tight. The girl reaches into her pockets with her free left hand, pulls out the keys of the new Mazda, and flung them straight at her father, with absolute disgust. "Looks like you just lost a daughter on Christmas day" Tiffany stated. The girl pulls A.J. away. Right before the go through the front door, A.J. caught a glimpse of Cynthia's face. She wasn't happy, or upset, of astounded. Just, stoic. Staring at the direction right behind the two girls.

Tiffany was still pulling her hand outside, charging to their mazda. A.J. stared at the sweetie in front of her, remembering of what Tiffany told her once: "I'm not going anywhere, you can trust me on that!" 'I don't deserve her' she thought. Once they were at the car, Tiffany stopped, looking down. In a hushed voice, she asked "C-can you drive please?" "Yeah of course" A.J. answered. She wanted to console her girlfriend over what just happened, but she knew it was better that they get away from this place as fast as possible. She helps Tiffany by opening and closing the passenger door for her, then runs around to the driver's side and heads inside as well. They reversed out of the driveway, and peeled away.

It was getting dark before they were almost home. A.J. was thankful that she had to keep her eyes on the road, since she had to blink a few times to get rid of the tears welling up in her eyes from earlier. But she was also completely worried about her girlfriend, who just went through something A.J. had tried to prevent for so long. The girl who was always a bundle of energy is now sitting quietly in her seat, staring down into her own hands. She was quiet for the majority of the ride, until she finally speaks up. "Can you stop the car?" Tiffany softly asked. "Okay" A.J. answered. A parking garage was a block ahead, so the request came at a convenient time. Maybe the Universe decided to finally be nice to Tiffany a little bit. She drives up to the second floor and parks the mazda.

She reaches and places her hand over Tiffany's. "Sweetie..." The taller girl turns to her, and tears are streaming down her face. "A.J., why? Why are they like that?" she asks her. A.J., who has been trying to hold in her own tears, couldn't do so any longer. She hated seeing Tiffany like this. It wasn't fair. "I'm sorry..." was all she could say to her girlfriend. "A.J.!," Tiffany shouts, the two of them embracing each other, "I w-want you to know that I love you! I love you!" "I love you so so much too" A.J. reciprocated back. Tiffany cried and cried, with A.J. allowing her tears run down her face too, gently telling Tiffany that it's going to be okay.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany rises, sitting up on the bed. It's morning. She looks over to her left, and there is her love-bug, sound asleep. Tiffany touches the shorter girl's hair for a bit, then slowly slides out of bed through the front-end. Her feet touch the rug positioned under the bedstead. Fuzzy. As she continued to walk the reaches of the rug disappeared, leaving cold hardwood floors to surprise her for just a moment. They must've forgotten to turn on the heater when they got home yesterday. 'Yesterday...'

She never thought things could ever turn out that way. She wanted to show up, introduce a very VERY important person to her family, and they would have fun. On her favorite holiday. She wanted them to see how great her girlfriend is. But instead, she learns how warped her dad's points of views were. She even disowned _herself_ from her family. She loved them so much... But there was no way she was going to let A.J. be treated like that. That girl doesn't deserve such things being said about her EVER. She did the right thing. She was sure of it. But why does she feel so shitty...

"Oh." She found herself in the living room. She walks over to the window to her left, behind the stereo, and looks through it. The two girls didn't even have the energy to close the blinds on this and the window in the kitchen last night. She next makes her way to the sofa and sat down, hunching over. She didn't have the motivation to turn on the TV, which in theory would be a good idea, since she can distract herself. But is that really okay?

It felt like quite a while later before she was finally thrown out of her brooding. The noise was a light thud, then a couple of faster, softer ones. Tiffany realizes that it was from behind her so she got up and turned around. It was A.J. The girl must've jumped right out of bed when waking up, looking for Tiffany. She smiles softly and weakly says "Hey." "Hey. You scared me. I kinda didn't expect you to be up this early" A.J. said. "What time is it?" Tiffany asked. "10:43, how long have you been up?" her girlfriend now asks. "Oh. Three hours, I guess" Tiffany answered, remembering what time it was when she glanced at the clock before. She didn't realize she "spaced out" for that long. The shorter girl walked over to her and took Tiffany's hands, sitting the both of them down on the sofa.

"Tiffany, I'm sorry" A.J. tells her. "Sorry? Silly, you don't have to apologize. _I_ should be the one for apologizing." "No no it's not your fault at all! You didn't know! There was no way you could've even have _possibly_ known! But, I honestly do have something to apologize for" A.J. started. Tiffany was curious, and hintly concerned, so she urged her girlfriend to go on. "I should've explained earlier. About us dating. Or rather, why other people don't like it." Yeah, she didn't understand. Not one bit. Tiffany furiously nodded, so A.J. continued. "Other people think it's gross, or disgusting. They think a relationship should be between a guy and a girl. And that kind of thinking isn't sometimes their fault! Like the world we grew up in, they teach us that that is the normal. For either reproductive purposes or religious bull. Like how you watch shows and stuff! You'll notice that the guy gets the girl in the end for it to be a happy ending. Noticed how it's not a 'guy gets the guy' or 'girl gets the girl'?" her girlfriend asked. It dawned on Tiffany that what A.J. was talking about is correct.

"But why aren't there like a single movie or show that shows those scenarios?" she asks. "Because again, they think that a 'guy with a girl' is the normal thing to do. Since we're surrounded with stuff like that, people wouldn't normally think twice on it. Plus, think of it this way: You know how stubborn people tend to get higher positions in companies?" A.J. presented. Tiffany wasn't sure where the shorter girl was going with this, so she nodded. "People who are stubborn tend to think they're right. In a LOT of stuff. If they think those relationships are normal, they are especially not going to budge on any other type of thinking. So their 'views', like a 'girl can only be with a guy' will be the only thing shown on media. And they also tend to lash out in disgust when they see something they don't like, normally."

'That makes sense!' the taller girl thought. "And the worst part is that those kinds of people will, hurt other people that are not in the 'norm.' So much to the point that they want the other people, dead" A.J. stated, though she looked a bit reluctant to say it. "Wait, so when you didn't want other people to know about us, it was because-" "So they wouldn't hurt us, or you, specifically. Like when my boss told me for us to be careful about who knows. It can get very dangerous" A.J. explained. "I, see. But that's so stupid! Love is just love!" Tiffany urges. "I know, I know. People are just, stupid," her girlfriend agreed, following up with "But again, I'm so _so_ sorry I kept you in the dark about all of this kind of stuff. It's not fair to you. I should've told you." Tiffany takes A.J.'s face into her own hands, stating "Yes, you should've. Please tell me everything." "I will. I'm sorry." "It's okay," she smiles, then with more seriousness, "He, shouldn't have said those things. You're not a troublemaker. My life has gone a million times better since I met you."

"Jerk, I'm supposed to be making YOU feel better. You lost your entire family. And he yelled at you" A.J. said. Tiffany lets go, commenting "Yeah, that did suck." If it weren't for the fact that she already cried her eyes out for all of yesterday, she might've done so again. Though maybe sleeping helped a little bit on feeling better. "Well," she tries to wisecrack the same way A.J. normally does, "At least I yelled back. It might've been pent up rage from dealing with Britney." "Or maybe how ridiculous their line of thinking was?" A.J. suggested. " _Totally_. Though, I, still feel awful. I might be like this for a while, probably. Just letting you know" Tiffany informed her. "Of course! I'll be here, if you need absolutely anything at all" A.J. assures. Tiffany nods, and looks down for a moment.

There was something else she was thinking about. Sitting on the sofa for a few hours, she mulled it over, and convinced herself that it was true. "I realized," she vocalized, "My dad had never asked me how I was doing. I would always be the one to come up to him and tell him." "Well maybe it was always that way because you're a pretty happy-go-lucky girl. You always take the initiative when it comes to something or someone you care about" A.J. brought up. Tiffany, however, shakes her head. "No, I know now he didn't love me. He loved the idea of me being great and wonderful to his standards, me being an object to him. YOU, though, you always ask me how I'm doing. A.J., thank you, really, for that" the taller girl expressed, and embraced her cuddly warm girl, the latter returning the embrace. "I love you, Tiffany." "I love you too."

"Hey, do you remember when we flew back here from Jersey? How awful the air was here compared to over there?" A.J. asked. "Ha, what? Where did that come from? Although yes I do remember that, the smog sometimes is ridiculous" the taller girl answers. "Sorry, trying to distract you" A.J. admitted. Tiffany appreciated that. Then that gave her an idea. "Hey, so they have a word for us, right? We'd be considered 'gay'?" "Yeah that's right, though on a more specific level we would be lesbians" her girlfriend clarified. "So, you've been thinking about all of that for a long time. When did you know that you were, gay?" A.J. immediately froze, her face transitioning to red. "D-do I have to answer that?" her girlfriend stuttered. Oh, now she _definitely_ has to hear about this one! "Yeah!" Tiffany responded. A.J. blushes, looks away, and says "Over two years ago, there was a movie called 'Paradise'. When I saw Phoebe Cates on the screen, I kept wanting to look at her. Then I realized why. I, blushed and hid my face in my hands for the rest of the movie..."

Tiffany couldn't help but be happy about that. A new tidbit of information! A.J. glanced back up at her and exclaimed "Why are you so happy about that?!" "Because, that must've been an important moment in your life! Wait a second, that means you must've gone to see Fast Times at Richmont High! So..." Tiffany teased. "Tiffany don't, please." "What did you think of Phoebe Cates's scene? The one where she-" " _Tiffany_. That's it. You hate me. That's why you're doing this" A.J. decided to deduce. "No, I would never! I was just curious. Okay, just tell me this, mine or her's?" Tiffany asked. She was genuinely curious. "TIFFANY...," A.J. groaned, covering her face in her hands, next mumbling "Your's." Tiffany gave her a hug for that. "Wait that's not fair! When did you find out?" the shorter girl brought up. "Hmm, well I just figured out that the name for us is 'gay,' so I can't really answer for that one" Tiffany explained. "Then your crush. Who was your first crush? Liza Minnelli? Martha Quinn?" A.J. probed. Tiffany didn't expect to ever share that kind of information. Now it was her turn to start blushing. "Hm?" A.J. hummed. "It was you..." she admitted. "Oh." The two girls were now a bumbling mess of blushness, if there was ever a word.

Some time later, after the shorter girl had put on her make-up, the two had been cuddling on the sofa. Tiffany just didn't feel like doing a single thing. Being with her love-bug helped a little bit. But another idea sparked a new question for A.J. "Why is Todd Rundgren someone you would always buy his next album or single from?" she asked. "Ah, actually that ties back to when I was a kid! For the longest time, his 'Hello, It's Me' song was my favorite of all time. If any of his songs were playing on the radio, I would drop whatever I was doing and sit right in front of it. I really liked his voice and music. Though I didn't understand that specific song until I was older" the shorter girl reminisced. "Wow, okay!"

Knocking is heard on their door, however. "Who could that be on the day after Christmas? It sure as hell better not be Kenny," A.J. complained, begins to get up, and says "Hey, do you think it's Chad? Finally paying us a visit?" Tiffany is tugging A.J.'s arm, stating "Don't go." "I'll be ten feet away." "Then tell them to go away, please. I'm, I don't think, I just don't want to see anybody else for a while" she told A.J. "Don't worry, I was gonna do just that, actually" her girlfriend assured her. Tiffany thought for a split second, and added "Unless it's Tina." "Unless it's Tina." A.J. looks through the peephole, and seems to be taken aback? But not happy. The girl slightly opens the door, just enough so Tiffany can't see who it is, and asks the person on the other side "You... Support us, right? Because if not, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." A small pause takes place, until her girlfriend opens the door fully, letting the person in.

The person was someone she knew WAY too well. But was wearing a business suit and her hair was down this time. "C.C.?!" Tiffany was shocked. This was another person Tiffany might've been okay with seeing. She needed to make sure though. "Wait, you're not gonna be, like _him_ , right?" she asked her sister. Her sister rushed right over to the taller girl and sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "No, of course not!" C.C. told her. "How did you know where we lived? He doesn't know, right?" A.J. asked, referring to the girl's dad. "No, never. Right after you two left, I got up and quickly told him off too," C.C. started sharing as A.J. sat next to Tiffany, "I basically told him that I was surprised, only because he somehow was able to lose two daughters on Christmas day." "Not even!" Tiffany stated. "Seriously, I did. I'm not dealing with bigoted morons. Like Jesus Christ. So I walked out, pulled out the Compact Disc Player he got me, placed it behind my tire, and backed up out of that place, running it over" C.C. continued.

"Holy shit, that's fucking hardcore" A.J. complimented. C.C. giggles, taking it with a "Thank you. I did have to drive pretty fast to try to find your car. I barely lucked out when I found the mazda exiting a parking lot. So, I followed to this apartment building, but I decided not to interfere for the night. I figured you two needed some alone time after that bull shit. Are you doing okay, Tiffany?" Tiffany felt truly lucky and thankful to have these two people care about her so much. And realized how important her sister is to her. "I've been doing better! A.J. has been helping me a lot," Tiffany responds while taking said girlfriend's hand, "I'm sorry I bailed on you." "No no, it's okay! That was an awful situation, and you had no choice. I just wanted you to speak your mind. I've NEVER seen you mad before" C.C. said. "Yeah, I, already had to go through that with a former friend. And then dealing with that _again_ , from someone who only really thinks of himself, he's stupid! Love is love!" Tiffany shouted. "Lower your voice a little bit" A.J. urged. "Sorry." "And A.J.," C.C. said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You're clearly really important to Tiffany, and yet you were treated badly." "It's fine, I'm used to that" the shorter girl shrugs, attempting to brush it off. But Tiffany knew better. Plus, that shouldn't be something you should get used to.

Her sister seemed to agree too, but decided against pressing further on that subject. "In any case, thank you for being there for Tiffany. And being there for her so much. I was touched by what you said yesterday" her sister expressed, looked at her watch, and got up. "I do have to head to work though. Tiffany, A.J., I'm here if you need anything." "Oh, Cynthia, wait a sec!" A.J. said, went into the kitchen, and came back with a paper. "Here's our phone number, if you ever want to visit or hang out" the shorter girl said. C.C. looked at the paper, then back at the girl, and offered "C.C. Please, call me C.C. We're friends, aren't we? I'll call! I promise! Have cookies ready though. I gotta head to work! Love you both!" and runs out the door. Tiffany gets up and shouts outside "Stop talking about your boring job! I love you too!" She loves teasing her sister about that job.

A.J. came up to the door too to lock it, and they sat back down. "A lot of apologies today" the Rocker Chick pointed out. " _A.J._ " "Sorry." Tiffany laughed at her joke. They sat back down and A.J. carried on with the wisecracking, sighing "With her obsession with cookies, and yours with ice cream, I might lose a lot more money than I expected." "I don't eat THAT much ice cream" Tiffany remarked. "Sweetie we have to go to the grocery store JUST for ice cream every week and a half. You eat quite a bit, you have to admit" A.J. said. "Maybe" Tiffany commented. She was too busy playing with her girlfriend's hands. Rubbing every single knuckle individually in little circles.

"Before your, I guess I should say, former dad, said what he said, about me, I actually almost got up and punched him hahaha. Though I'm sure he would've pressed charges or something if I did" A.J. remarked. Tiffany takes her cuddly-warm girl's hands and kissed them. "What you said to my sister. You shouldn't be getting used to those types of bad comments about you! I saw your reaction when he said what he said. I don't want anyone saying those things about you ever. I know they affect you more than you let on... Not letting other people know how it bothers you, I get that. But please try not to make a joke out of it, or downplaying your feelings. You're great, love-bug" Tiffany tried conveying. She worries about the girl a lot. A.J. looked surprised by the heartfelt concern, and looked a bit ashamed, more sadder though, of the ordeal. "I'm sorry. Again. I do that to make myself pretend I'm okay with it. I'm not. It made me feel like there was something wrong with me" A.J. admitted. "And there isn't! It's okay!" Tiffany assured her.

They look at each other lovingly, until A.J. pipes up with, "Our presents to each other! Or at least, I have one for you." "Wow I totally forgot big time. I have one for you too!" Tiffany said. She was suddenly excited now. She can't wait to see what A.J. got her! Tiffany jogs to her hiding place for presents (which was underneath the kitchen sink) and came back to the sofa with it. A.J. already had her's in hand by the time she came back. They sat back down and handed them to each other, the taller girl urging the shorter one to open her's first. A.J. obliges, rips off the bow and wrapper, and was stunned again, this time in a happy sort of way. Her eyes even looked like they were sparkling.

"What? How?! I've never seen this version before!" her girlfriend stated. In her hands, was a single of her favorite song, "Time After Time". The front sleeve was of Cyndi Lauper laying down looking up, with her hair blonde instead of the trademark bright red, but still donning the excessive amount of bracelets. "It's the European version! I thought you would love it!" Tiffany explained. A.J. looks back up at her, and says "I do! I really really do! Thank you so so much!," giving Tiffany a huge hug! "Aw I'm glad!" "Seriously where did you get this?" A.J. poked her. "That's a secret" Tiffany winks.

"Now I feel kinda bad. I got you this present, and I feel like it's not gonna be as good as what you got me" her girlfriend commented. "No not at all! I bet it's wonderful!" Tiffany assures, and starts ripping off the wrapper. She pulls off the lid on the box and is now perplexed by light blue colored fabric? Two of them! She pulls them out and they're shirts! "I got you a top like the ones you always wear, where it hangs off one shoulder? But I noticed you didn't have this color, so I thought it would look super cute on you! And then a long-sleeved sweatshirt version, just like your pink one! I hope you like them" A.J. smiled. Tiffany's eyes now sparkled as well, hushly annunciating "Radical..." "Really?" the shorter girl asked. "YES! I love these so much! Love-bug, thank you so much!" Tiffany said, scooting in and giving A.J. a kiss. It felt like it had been forever since they shared one.

"Can we kiss again?" her love-bug politely asked. "Yes. Yes yes yes. Forever yes." And they close the space between them once more. "Merry Christmas, I love you!" "A much better Merry Christmas. I love you too!" She's also thankful that the two had this day off together too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Okay, I'm really really sorry for leaving last week's chapter on such a downer note. I actually wanted to add more emphasis on it too, but then I got too caught up in introducing Tiffany's sister. Don't worry, everything will be okay. Just another hurdle to overcome. And they have each other, right? Right. I don't think I ever touched up on it, but back in Chapter 5 I stated that I threw in two references to other movies. Those movies were The Terminator ("Tech Noir" on Pico) and Trick or Treat (1986, "Sammi Curr"). The latter is a fun movie. Next week is New Year's, so we'll see their friends again!


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

'The last day of 1984! New Year's Eve!' She still couldn't believe it, even though she tried otherwise by repeating those words in her head over and over again throughout the day. Clearly it didn't work, as they're almost home from work. "Diamond Field" by Pat Benatar's most recent album was playing over the radio, and the taller girl was humming along to it whilst driving. "This is a nice song. At least it isn't 'We Belong'" A.J. tells her. "You don't like 'We Belong'?" Tiffany asks. "It's pretty good, but the radio does _not_ need to play it the excessive amount of times that it does play it at." "We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder!" her girlfriend sings. "Tiffany." "We belong, we belong, we belong together!" Tiffany continues singing. "You know you skipped a couple of lyrics hahaha" A.J. giggles. "But we do, don't we?" "We do what?" the shorter girl asks, confused. "Belong together!" "Yes, yes we do," A.J. nodded, "I do like her other song, the 'Anxiety (Get Nervous)' one. It's pretty fun." "Yeah it is! Ugh but its music video _rarely_ shows on MTV" Tiffany remarked. "Wow, really? That kinda sucks. I don't think I've seen it yet" A.J. said. "Oh then I'll scream your name if it ever does show!" Tiffany said. "Please don't."

They make it home, and A.J. falls back-first onto the sofa. She stares at the ceiling for a moment, until she hears her girlfriend ask "Can I lay on you?" "The Rocker mattress is all yours." Giving a satisfied hum, Tiffany does exactly what she asked to do. Even going so far as to slip her hands inside A.J.'s shirt again. "Can I have a kiss too?" A.J. turns her head to face the owner of the questions. Their eyes are locked onto each other, while their nose are touching too. "I've been spoiling you too much lately" A.J. remarks. She was mostly kidding, but she does feel like Tiffany has been wanting to be even more spoiled lately. At least ever since five days ago. And she hasn't had any desire to go outside the apartment either, aside from work.

Tiffany pouted. A.J. gave in and kissed her. "More." "More?!" A.J. asked. She was amused by this. She gives the bundle of energy two more, and asks "So what's the plan for today?" She had her hands interlocked behind Tiffany's back. "The plan?" the taller girl asks. "Yeah. It's New Year's Eve!... R-right?" A.J. still wasn't sure. "Hehe, of course it is, silly! We can watch the 'New Year's Rockin' Eve'! The one with Dick Clark!" the bubbly girl exclaims. "Are you sure? What about the party?" she asks her.

Earlier in the morning Kenny had called to ask if they would like to come over to his apartment tonight for a New Year's party. Basically everyone from the Halloween party was invited. "The party? Uh, I kinda wanna stay in tonight. I wanted to cuddle with you! I'm actually surprised you wanted to go! I thought you hate groups of people" Tiffany vocalized. It's true, A.J. does indeed hate crowds. And she would much prefer to spend alone time with her loved one. "It's good to see our friends once in a while, don't you think? It'll be fun! We can see 'No Fear Jenny', Debbie, Megan, everyone!" the shorter girl continued. "Haha, you said Debbie! It _has_ been a while since we've seen anyone..." Tiffany mulled over. A.J. leans in and gives another kiss. "Are you using kisses to sway me?!" the taller girl emphasizes. "Sweetie, don't be appalled. I'm only using kisses to make you happy" A.J. remarked. Tiffany seems to think further, gives A.J. a kiss, then says "Okay, let's go." "Sweet."

A.J. attempts to get up, but is prevented by Tiffany. "No, wait, right now?!" the girl asks. "Well, I mean, yeah?" A.J. responds. "We can't stay like this for a while longer?" "I mean we _could_. But that'd mean we'd stay later. We can do the thing like on my birthday where we come back home early if you'd like? Then I guess you could touch my stomach again all you like. But we can only do that if we leave now, so that it'd give them enough time to see us" the shorter girl explained. "And the kisses?" her girlfriend asks, adding to the deal. "Only... If you cuddle with me" A.J. also threw in. "Of course!" "Okay, NOW let's go" A.J. proclaims, giving Tiffany a kiss before they got up.

Tiffany got to her shoes first. As A.J. was making her way over to her kicks, the phone rang. It couldn't be her parents, since they called earlier to wish them happy holidays and the such. Maybe it was C.C.? She picks up the receiver, reciting the "This is the A.J. and Tiffany residence, this is the former speaking" line she normally states when answering it. "A.J.!" That voice! "Tina?!" she asks, ecstatically. Tiffany abandoned her shoes and ran right up to the shorter girl. "How are you doing? I've missed you two a lot!" Tina expressed. "We've missed you too! A LOT, trust me," A.J. told the blonde girl over the phone, hearing her laugh, and continuing "We've been doing good. Better, I should say." "Better?" Instead of explaining what she meant by those choice of words, A.J. states "Hey hold on, a cutie wants to talk to you."

The "Sweetie" gives the shorter girl a big squeeze, then taking the receiver. "TINA" Tiffany loudly voiced. A.J. attempted to scurry away to put on her kicks but Tiffany was too quick, wrapping her arm around the girl's stomach. 'I've been snagged!' A.J. thought to herself while Tiffany talked to Tina. "I've been better!" Tiffany tells Tina. When Tina seems to be talking, the taller girl gives A.J. kisses on the back of the neck. A.J. had to keep herself from laughing. "We're about to go to Kenny's party. Have you somehow snuck to L.A. again?" Tiffany asks. "Mhm. Mhm. Ah, happy new year's to you too!" Tiffany announces, places her hand on the speaking end and tells A.J., "Tina says 'happy new year's!'" "Tell her I said happy new year's as well" A.J. said. "Okay!" Tiffany responds, and does so. The taller girl silently mouths something to the rocker, whilst pointing at the phone. A.J. got the picture and after Tiffany had said "We'll let you go though so you can be with your Nick. Goodbye, and...," she positions the receiver in between her and her girlfriend and they both yell "WE LOVE YOU, TINA!"

Tiffany hangs up the phone so Tina doesn't get the chance to respond. "Don't kiss my neck while you're on the phone!" A.J. laughs. "Sorry." "You're not sorry" A.J. remarked, squinting her eyes. "I am! I'm sorry, that I couldn't resist" the bundle of energy shrugs. "Oh, is THAT what you're sorry for?" the shorter girl continues laughing. She realizes that Tiffany has gotten cheeky lately. "Well, I mean, I love you..." her girlfriend said sincerely. 'Well, not that cheeky' A.J. corrects herself. "I love you too, sweetie. Now, let's go see our friends!... After you let go of me."

The two make it to West Los Angeles, being pretty close to Mid City (where they live). A.J. distinctively remembers where Kenny lives at, since she had to interview at his place for the camp counselor job way back when. Tiffany drove them, while A.J. gave directions. It was getting pretty cold though, despite the night still being young enough. At least there was a promise of keeping one another warm when they return. Once parked and hand-in-hand, the girls climb up to the second story of the complex. Through the hallway, A.J. scans left and right, figures out which side had the even numbers, and they follow it, finding 214. A.J. knocks, and out comes... Chad. Again. Just like on her birthday.

"Well if it isn't the two lovebirds" Mr. Kensington remarks. "Hi Chad" Tiffany greets, A.J. following suit, adding "You still haven't visited us, Chadsington." "Stanford has been keeping me quite busy as of late. Up until the Winter break" he explains, mentioning his university. He led them inside, with the atmosphere almost being exact as the Halloween party, minus the spookiness. They stayed near the entrance while they chatted for a bit, giving "hi" gestures to others at the premise. "You could've visited us over your break" A.J. suggested. "My father had kept me busy throughout it. And if not him, then Victoria would demand to keep her company" Chad further informs. "Is she here?" Tiffany wondered. "Yup, I'm sure she's gossiping with Ms. Foxy in Kenny's bedroom" he guessed. 'Victoria _and_ Fox gossiping? That can't be good' A.J. thought.

She couldn't tell if it was finally good luck or her old bad luck, but bursting out of one of the doors were the two instigators, Victoria and Fox, who dragged Vera with them. The two former were completely sloshed, with Vera seemingly very drunk as well. A.J. blames the two for Vera. "A.J.!" "A.J., you have to drink today! It's New Year's!" Fox and Victoria spewed out of their mouths, and started dragging the girl to the kitchen, Tiffany following closely behind. On the table, was just multitudes of alcohol bottles, and a keg of presumably beer in the center of it all. "Here, I'll pour you some beer!" Fox offered, being extremely accommodating. "No, no, A.J. wouldn't like that. She'll like mix drinks!" Tiffany pointed out. "Wait no I can't drink. One of us has to drive back in three hours" A.J. stated. "It's okay A.J., you can drink! I'll drive us home!" Tiffany assures her. "What? But, are you sure? I want you to have fun too" A.J. expressed. "It's fine! I'm already having fun! Here," Tiffany says, gets a red plastic cup, pours two-thirds with Dr Pepper, and one-third with vodka. "I'll be right back! I'm gonna say hi to Debbie real quick!" Tiffany said, gives a kiss and trails off.

"Wait, before you drink that, drink this" Victoria offers, grabs a bottle of whisky, and pours it in a shot glass. She hands it to A.J., and happily offers by saying "Here." She's never seen Victoria THIS happy. It looked welcoming, as opposed to a scheming type of smile. A.J. chugs it, and places the shot glass back on the table. "Hoooo-boy" she exhales. That drink was way too warm and hard on the throat. "Better? That was 100-proof. You can drink your's now" Victoria says. 'Are these girls trying to get me plastered?!' Nonetheless, she starts drinking her special Dr Pepper. They catch up to a few things in their lives, getting refills on their drinks, until A.J. finally starts feeling the effects. Once she does, they drag her to Kenny's bedroom.

"So, we've been wondering something..." Fox brings up. "Uh oh, here we go" A.J. vocalizes. "How do you and Tiffany have sex?!" Victoria loudly asks. The shorter girl was aghast by such a question. "I am NOT sharing that!" she tells them. Like what kind of question... "Aw c'mon, please? We're pretty sure y'all have done it at least a good number of times, right?" Fox presumes. "That is PERSONAL! We're not talking about this!" A.J. sternly tells them, still shocked that they're even talking about this. Vera, who had been quiet and sipping her drink the entire time, finally spoke up with "If she doesn't want to talk about that, she shouldn't have to. Fox, and...," she squints at the purple-suited girl, then continues "Victoria! Apologize to A.J." "I'm sorry" the two girls tell the shorter one. "It's okay," A.J. accepts, and turns to Vera saying "Thank you." Vera smiles and shakes her head, saying "Don't worry about it."

"Vera, tell A.J. about the crush you have on her!" Victoria urges. " _Victoria!_ Chingada...," Vera emphasizes, her Hispanic side slightly showing, directs to the rocker and continues, "A.J. I didn't mean it like that. All I said was that if I wasn't dating Shelly, I would date you. That's all." 'Whoa, Vera is bi?' A.J. muses. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that it brought up the 'coolness' factor in Vera for her. "Oh. Well thank you" A.J. said, glances at her cup, and realizes that it's empty. "I'm gonna get a refill" she tells them, and exits the bedroom.

She wobbles a little bit on her way, but makes it to the kitchen, pouring herself up a drink. When she was done, she turns around and almost bumps into the LaChappa! "Ah, I'm sorry A.J.!" he apologizes. "No no, it's okay. Wow, J.R., I haven't seen you in a long time" she says. "Yeah, it sucks being across the country just to go to college" LaChappa complains. "We missed you." "But you didn't even call me. Not a single time" he further complains. The alcohol may have influenced her manner, responding "Whoa, you don't need to get snippy with me. We don't have your fucking phone number." "You could've asked Kenny-" "Look, Kenny doing stuff like that, and giving out addresses without permission is honestly pretty fucked. He's done that to me so many times, I had to yell at him" A.J. interrupts with her rant. "Oh, well that does change things considerably. I could suggest that you have him call me asking if it is okay, but then by that point it'd just be obnoxious" LaChappa jokes. "So how is Yale?" she asks him.

He talks about the curriculum, the people he's met, and how douchey a lot of them can be. A.J. tries to focus on the conversation, but is only focusing because the alcohol is making it hard to pay attention. She mentions that she needs to head back to the bedroom real quick to tell the girls something, and he lets her on her way. She opens the door and says "Hey, I'm gonna go find Tiffany." Vera looks up (as the three are sitting on the carpet floor) and nods, loudly saying "Tell your girlfriend I said hello!" A.J. flashes the rock 'n' roll salute before closing the door.

She sways through the hallway and to the living room, finding her sweetie, who was talking with Deborah and Adam. Deborah seems to also be quite drunk, almost as much as A.J. "A.J.!" Tiffany exclaims, giving her a big hug. 'God, she's so cute.' "A.J. you're so cute!" the taller girl vocalizes. "Hahaha I was thinking the same thing about you" she says. "Whoa, really? Aw!" Tiffany exclaims. A.J. remembers that they're not home, and pulls them apart. "Debbie I'm sorry, I haven't said hello yet... Hello, Debbie" A.J. greets. Deborah shakes her head and says "It's okay. Hello!" Tiffany leans in to A.J.'s ear and whispers "She seems to get _super_ quiet when she's drunk..." "Vera is like that too! Also, she said hello!" A.J. happily stated. "Whoa, really?!" Tiffany asks. "Debbie, Adam, I'm gonna take Tiffany for a while, ok?" she politely asks. Deborah gave a nod, with Adam giving a thumbs up. Tiffany giggles, and the shorter girl takes the taller girl's hand and led her to the couch.

Facing each other holding each other's hands, A.J. asks "Hey, sweetie, you wanna put your hands in my sleeves? I'm sure none of our friends would mind." "Uh, are you sure??? It'd be better if I don't do that," Tiffany warns, further whispering "For your image." A.J. feels a little bummed about it, proof being that she's pouting. "I can do that when we get home though" Tiffany offers. "Okay... Why would you want ME to be drunk? Shouldn't you be the one to get drunk? You had the really bad week..." the rocker says, sadly. "I want you to have a good time, love-bug! I just, still felt bad about how you were treated" the bundle of energy explains. "No no no it's fine. YOU were the one who had a bad week" A.J. worriedly stated. "Love-bug, yes, Christmas was one of the worst days of my life. But I had a really great time right after that, and it is because of YOU. Thank you. I mean that" Tiffany expresses. "I'm so so sorry I assumed." Tiffany tries to hide A.J.'s face in her shoulder so no one in the vicinity sees A.J. like this. "It's okay!" the taller girl assures.

A couple of feet away from them, the front door opens. And in comes four familiar faces! "We're back!" Kenny announces. A.J. lazily turns around and greets them, with "Hi Kenny, Jenny, Vanessa, and... Buggzy?!" Buggzy comes up to her and pats her on the shoulder, asking "Hey, A.J.! Long time no see! How are you?" "I'm... Super peachy!" A.J. tells him, swaying back and forth. "Haha, glad you're having a good time tonight! Let's get this show on the road! Hey Tiffany!" he yells, strolling to the kitchen. Vanessa, right behind him, leans over on the back of the couch real quick, also greeting with "Hey girls. You two are on point with the fashion today!" "Thank you, Vanessa!" Tiffany said. "Thank ya, _girl_ " A.J. teases. Vanessa rubs the top of the rocker's head, and continues on to where Buggzy went.

"You didn't say hi to us earlier!" Kenny scolded. "I didn't see you!" A.J. exclaims. "It's okay, A.J. You got dragged away. We had to leave to pick up Vanessa and Buggzy, so we just got back" Jenny told her. A.J. slowly nods this time, and leans to her girlfriend, saying "Hey, sweetie, 'No Fear Jenny' is here!" "Oh wonderful, just when I thought that name was finally forgotten" Jenny remarked. Tiffany giggles, pointing out "Love-bug, I don't think you know how to keep your voice down when you drink." "WELL, shoot." Tiffany laughs even more by her response.

A.J. really enjoyed being drunk. It was a nice, buzzy feeling. Her emotions felt out of wack though. Or more emphasized? Oh well. She did need to tell Victoria something. "Sweetie, I'll be right back, is that ok?" she asks her girlfriend. "Huh? Of course! I'm gonna talk to Debbie some more!" Tiffany informs. A.J. gives her two pecks on the cheek, and they get up, the shorter girl swaying her way back to the bedroom. She enters it, and finds the three girls still sitting on the floor, happy to see the "Rocker Chick". "A.J.!" Fox and Victoria cheered. Vera gestures A.J. to sit next to her. She sits, and the two "instigators" continue their conversation. "But yeah, that's why Chad will always be a momma's boy. I still don't get the beef between his and my parents lately too. Like, it started about two months ago?" Victoria tried explaining, taking another swig from her drink. "Sounds like you and Chad have it rough. Aren't y'all childhood friends or something? And the same country club too?" Fox asked. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold on. You're making too big a deal out of that. Chad and I will _never_ have a thing for each other" Victoria rambles. Vera and A.J. looked at one another and shared a look of curiosity, but decided to not press further.

Victoria turns to A.J. and dives into another question. "Look, I know I asked you this when I visited you, and you seemed hesitant to," the blonde pauses to rack her brain for the word, then finished with "Answer. But I really need to know, how do you feel about all of us? You're pretty hush hush about that. About anything, really, when it comes to you." A.J. is normally with Tiffany, who she shares her thoughts and feeling with. But she doesn't really do that with anyone else. Aside from Tina. But that's Tina. She really wants to right now, but that may be the alcohol that had taken over. "Wait, before I answer that, I wanna ask YOU something first! How do you, feel about me?" A.J. set on the table, metaphorically speaking.

"Not like Vera, right?" Victoria skeptically asks. A.J. gets up and is about to leave, but Victoria shouts "Wait, wait! I'm KIDDING. I'm, sorry." The short girl sighs, and sits back down. "See? This is the kind of stuff that makes me not want to answer your question. Fucking Christ, you, I hated how you treated everyone back then. It, pissed me off. You acted just like all the 'popular kids' in high school. I really, really hated that, Victoria. Like god damn it. But then you warmed up to us, and started to trust us and hang out with us. So I don't know what to think, until you answer my question first!" A.J. voiced. She didn't like spilling her guts like this, but in her state of mind, might be the only type of situation to do this in. Victoria looked pretty surprised herself. A.J. wasn't sure if Victoria was trying to process what she just said, or there being a delay in her response, due to beverage influences.

"I think," Victoria begins, finishes the rest of her drink, and then continues, "You're too sweet. You may think that no one is watching, but I watched. PRETTY OFTEN, during camp. And when I visited that one time, to your place, it finally convinced me. The way your girlfriend looks at you, and cares for you, and loves you. And how you worry for her, and you love her back. I thought it was weird, but I was, wrong. And all of that happened because you were you. I think you're strong. THERE, HAPPY? Now, will you answer my question so I'm not kept further in suspense?" A.J. was awestruck. Surprised. And happy. "Will do. All of you, yes, even you Victoria, I did not expect to care for any of you, because I didn't expect for anybody to care for me. You're all my friends, and I'm thankful for that" she shared.

"Yay! Finally get to see 'The Rocker Chick' and 'The Catty Girl' getting along! A great way to end the year!" Fox cheered. "I'm very happy for you two" Vera stated, taking a sip from her cup. "A.J.!," Tiffany yells, bursting into the room, "Oh, did I interrupt something?" "Tiffany!" A.J. shouted back, (wobbly) getting up, and jumping into her arms! "Whoa!," Tiffany exclaims, mentioning "I just wanted to tell you that it's 11 now." "Oh shit, we gotta motor outta here" the shorter girl realizes. "You're not gonna stay for the countdown?" Fox asks. A.J. turned her head to look at the group and explained "Sorry, I promised her we'd be home early." "Then have a great New Year's, you two" Vera said. "You too!" A.J. and Tiffany both reciprocated simultaneously. "Bye A.J.!" See ya, A.J.! Take care of her, Tiffany!" Fox and Victoria shouted. "I will!" Tiffany shouted back. Giggling while heading through the hallway, she comments "Seems you've gotten quite popular, love-bug." "Me? Naw."

The two girls say their farewells to everyone else at the party, wishing the happy holidays to them all. It was around 11:20 when they finally made it home. "That was really fun! Thank you for talking me into going! It was nice seeing everyone" Tiffany said. "I'm just, super-duper happy that you're happy" A.J. responds, smiling. "You're really loopy when you're drunk!" Tiffany pointed out. "I feel loopy. Buzzy. Sweetie,..." A.J. prompts. The two are back on the sofa. "Hm? What is it?" her girlfriend urges. "Am I... Cute?" A.J. asks. She really wanted to know at this moment. "Cute? A.J., you are the cutest girl I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and meeting in my entire LIFE!" the taller girl declares. "R-really?! Wait, but that can't be right. We have mirrors, so that means that YOU are the cutest person that you know. 'Cause you're the cutest that I know" A.J. rebuttals. "No, YOU'RE the cutest." "No, YOU are." "Then prove it to me by following up on our deal from earlier" Tiffany said.

A.J. decides to comply with their deal. She pulls up her shirt to reveal her stomach, and then takes the bundle of energy's hands and places them on it. "Hahaha, no, silly. I meant kisses! Though I'm glad you reminded me of this" Tiffany laughs. A.J. gets up from the sofa and leans down into a kiss. And gave a few more. "I love you so much, sweetie." "I love you so much too!" Tiffany reciprocates, pulls A.J. back down on the sofa, and gives her a kiss back. A.J. gets stands up again. "Let's go to sleep" she tells Tiffany. "What? No! Today is the last day of 1984! We have to see the countdown into '85! C'mon," Tiffany reminds, gets up, and pulls the shorter girl into the kitchen, "Let's get you some water so you can sober up and not have a hangover in the morning." "Okie-dokee." A.J. is given water, and they return to the sofa, turning on the TV.

"It really is the last day of this year, isn't it?" the shorter girl asks. "Mhm!" Tiffany nods. "This was the absolute weirdest year I've ever went through. Even though, not great things happened, I got to meet you. And be with you. I wouldn't trade that for anything else in the Universe" A.J. expresses. "This year had really tough moments. I hated those days. But you, you made it all worth it. This is the most radical year of my life, and I'm excited for the next year! Aren't you?" Tiffany asks. "I am. So let's make 1985 even more, uh, tubular, shall we?" A.J. proposes. "Totally!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week! Hi! I may have accidentally have made all of the holiday chapters on A.J.'s "point of view." Sorry? But we still have basically like the next five years in their lives, so Tiffany will get her chance don't you worry! And hey, we managed to make Chapter 31 on December 31st, so yay! "Why does the LaChappa go to Yale?" Because he's a pretty smart guy, who deserves good education. No Megan and Tommy at the party? No, they must've been caught up in their own lives. I do miss them. Did you expect a countdown into '85? Haha, nope, too easy. Maybe another time. See ya next week!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"The customary parade for Ronald Reagan was cancelled due to record cold temperatures over in Washington yesterday. Reagan, in a statement issued two days ago on Sunday night by the White House, said that medical and military authorities had warned that 'exposed flesh can freeze within five to ten minutes' in the conditions expected that morning, 'triggering considerable danger to many of the parade and ceremony participants, spectators, and the gener-'" "Blah blah, let's switch to some tunes instead!" Tiffany decides, switching to a different station on the radio, 'Shout' from Tears for Fears is currently playing. "Nice!" The bubbly girl had gotten off work two hours early, and came to the conclusion on what better way to pass the time then to hang out at Tower Records?

But no, not just any old Tower Records. Not the "lame" one on Sunset, but her GIRLFRIEND's location. 'Hehe, she's gonna be so surprised' Tiffany amuses herself with, then makes a small realization, 'Uh oh, what if she gets mad?... Naw, she won't get mad! Her boss should be there too!' He seemed nice from what she heard of him. After all, he does sound like he supports their relationship! But she does feel like she's forgetting just one more person...

In any case, she chose to pick a different place to park this time. If A.J. saw the mazda at the usual spot, she'll be found out immediately! So she parks on the street instead, having to cough up some of her change at the parking meter. She shakes her head, imitating her girlfriend by muttering "Damn capitalism..." and giggles right afterwards. She takes a skipping step, and starts strolling down the block to her destination. It was still cold, but nothing she couldn't handle. The mornings she had to wake up to for track and field back in high school were more jarring. The wind today was a bit of a problem, but at least she's wearing her Winter fashion! Her usual high-waisted jeans, and... The blue sweatshirt tucked in that her girlfriend got her for Christmas! "Hey, you're lookin' pretty clutch!" someone compliments her as she passes by them. "Hey, thanks!" she responds. 'Ah, I GOTTA tell A.J. about that!'

Tiffany makes a left and there she is, right in front of the building. She crouches, and slowly makes her way to the window. She peeks in, but is disappointed by the view. The aisles were blocking any chance to look inside. And if she stood up, her head would probably be caught immediately. At least she would assume so. She has no idea how the setup looks on the inside. The only thing she knows is that A.J. would've had to throw her Walkman FROM the counter TO the entrance. So the counter would absolutely be right in front of the glass doors, even if the counter wasn't that close. She was too busy pondering on how to sneak in, she didn't notice the person two feet from her, staring at her puzzledly.

"Do you need help with something?" he asks her. Tiffany yelps in surprise, next recovering to hopefully save herself from this sketchy looking situation. "H-hi! No, I think I'll be okay! I actually know someone that works here, so I'm trying to find a way to sneak inside to surprise her!" she explains. "Her...?" he seemed to be pondering on the end of what she stated, and figured something out. "You said 'her', right? Do you mean A.J.?!" he asks. "I do! So you know her?!" she exclaims. "Hell yeah I know her! You wanna surprise her, huh? Good thing you haven't stood up yet, otherwise she would've spotted you immediately. She's looking at me from the counter confused as hell right now hahaha" the guy laughs. Tiffany found him pretty shabby looking, but he could probably help if he knew exactly who she was looking for!

"Will you help me sneak in?" Tiffany politely asks, palms pressed together. "Yeah! Just leave it to me! Just wait here for five minutes, then come on right in! She and the boss still haven't eaten yet, so they'll be chowing down as soon as I give them this" he states. She then noticed that he was carrying Chinese food with his left hand. 'Wait, she still hasn't had lunch yet?!' she thought. Tiffany did not like hearing that. She'll need to have a talk with her girlfriend later. He gives her a thumbs up, and walks straight inside. Her back against the store now, she takes a seat and waits a little bit. The sun was already setting. It was a shame that she and A.J. could only enjoy this time of day on their days off. 'Summer needs to hurry.' Once it felt like it had been a couple of minutes, she jumped up and headed inside.

"Whoa" she uttered. Tiffany has never been to this location. Before last Summer, whenever she needed to buy music, she would always head to the main one on Sunset. Despite things always happenin' on that street, that specific location's colors were a bit too tacky. HERE though, had a better down-to-Earth vibe. She was in awe for a good few seconds. "Hey!" the guy shouted to her. He was at the counter, and urged her to come to him. She does so, and he says "A.J.'s currently eating in the break room in the back. Are you gonna come up to her from behind and scare her?" "You didn't tell me that you work here! I thought that you were just a good friend of their's!" Tiffany exclaims. "Of course I work here!" "Well, I actually wanna see how she works. She'll complain about here from time to time, but I'm sure that she really loves it here! So I really wanna know how she acts! So would it be okay if I just hide and sneak around in here?" Tiffany asks. "Yeah, I don't see why not. We've been kinda slow lately around this time, maybe people don't wanna go out when it's cold at night. Just don't wander to the back" he urges. "Okay!" she smiles, and begins strolling through the aisles.

Music wasn't just A.J.'s thing, Tiffany also loves music just as much. Since she wasn't familiar with the layout of where each genre is, she took her time exploring. It was quite fun; it reminded her of going to the toy store as a kid! Checking out the latest releases, finding old classics. "Whoa..." she vocalizes. It was the single of her favorite song ever, "Summer of Heat". As much as she would love a copy, she can't buy it. Rather, she doesn't allow herself to buy it. It was quite a while later when she overheard her girlfriend's voice. 'Shit!' She had to hide. Hearing footsteps getting closer and closer, Tiffany _quietly_ sprinted to the far end of the aisle and leapt into the next aisle behind it! Tiffany then goes the opposite way so she could watch A.J. from behind.

And there she was, the cute shorter 'Rocker' girl wearing her usual, with the black and green leggings Tiffany got her for her birthday! They try to match one another by trying to wear each other's gifts on the same day, like today! The girl seems to be having a good time, arms behind the back, left hand holding the right one, her body lightly swaying left and right. She turns her head to the left, then to the right, then to the left again. The girl heads to a section and picks up a vinyl. Tiffany recognizes it as The Fixx's " _Shuttered Room_ " album! She next recognized the song "Red Skies" playing on the speaker, which is from that album. 'Hmm, I wonder what she's doing...' Thinking that A.J. is preoccupied, it was her chance. Slowly and slowly inching her way closer, Tiffany raises her arms in a 'T. Rex' fashion, and as soon as A.J. sets the vinyl back down...

"A.J.!" the taller girl shouts while wrapping her arms around the shorter one's stomach. "Wha-Tiffany?!" "The one and only!" she happily states. A.J. pulls them apart and asks "W-w-what are you doing here?!" Tiffany tilts her head. "Huh? Why? To see you, silly!" she tells her. "No you can't be here" A.J. pleads. "But I wanna see you work! And see why you love this place so much!" Tiffany shouted, and immediately covers her own mouth, realizing her mistake. A.J. doesn't like other people knowing about her feelings on stuff. "I'm sorry, A.J.! I didn't mean to yell that!" "It's okay, it's okay. But no, I'm more concerned about TODD meeting you!" the shorter girl expresses. "Todd?" Tiffany asks. "A.J., why didn't you want me to meet this girl?"

Tiffany had to turn around to see who the owner of that voice was, and it was the shabby looking guy! "Wait, _this_ is Todd?!" she asks. "Yeah! I'm Todd! Nice to meet'ya!" Todd greets. "I'm Tiffany! Her- Er, the most important person in her life!" Tiffany also greets, shaking his hand, thought about something, and decided to vocalize it. "I don't wanna sound rude...," she continues, "But you're really out of date for your fashion. Like REALLY out of date..." "What?! Aw, c'mon Tiffany! We just met and you're already being harsh to me?!" Todd whines. "Hey, there you go! See, your lingo isn't half-bad!" Tiffany compliments. "Tiffany, I already had my break, so I can't really hang right now..." A.J. brought up, trying to refocus the conversation. "What on EARTH is going on?!"

The three had to look behind Todd to face the person who yelled that. It was another person Tiffany didn't know. He was wearing a button-down short-sleeved shirt, but the left half was yellow, while the right side of the shirt and the sleeves were colored red. She wasn't sure about his fashion neither. And compared to Todd's handle-bar mustache, this man is clean-shaven. He has a crew cut for his hair, "stylized" by it being brushed up. His facial reaction seems _similar_ to Harv's, but it was less in annoyed and more that he's disinterested. So why is he yelling? "Boss! This is a really great friend of A.J.'s apparently!" Todd explains. 'Oh, he's their BOSS' Tiffany figures out. "Great friend?" their boss asks. A.J. sighs, and introduces with "This, is Tiffany."

This boss looked surprise for a split second, then returned to his normal demeanor and stated "Well, do whatever you want then." "Uh, are you sure?" A.J. asks. "Yeah, that could be fun! It's not like we've had customers lately around this time!" Todd says. The boss realized his mistake, for he turned right around and said "No, hold on, I can't just have you people hang and do whatever you want in case a customer _does_ come in... Tiffany, wait in my office with me while I get paperwork done until A.J. can go home." "Oh. Okay!" Tiffany shrugs, waves a temporary good-bye to her girlfriend and follows him to the office.

She and this boss head on inside and he sits back on his chair behind the desk, writing down lots of numbers and sometimes cross-checking. Tiffany had sat across from him, and after watching him for a couple of minutes, asks "What is _your_ name?" "Huh? My name? It's Kevin" he responds. "Hi Kevin! How old are you? What kind of music do you like?" she continues. "You're quite the curious one" this boss comments. "Do you not like that?" "No one's ever really ask about me. That and I also prefer people not to ask about me," he explains, "Not even A.J. really ever asked when she first met me." "Whoa, really?," Tiffany asks, glances over to the counter at the shorter girl, and looks back with "What was she like back when she started?" "A.J.? Uh, why don'tcha ask her yourself?" "Well, it's not that she wouldn't tell me, but I wanna hear your perspective on it! Plus I might not even know what kind of questions to ask!" Tiffany says.

This boss sighs, sets down his pencil, and begins. "Well, I wasn't the one who even hired her. I had two other managers at the time, so they were the ones who did her paperwork. She always showed up on time. I mean she does now too, but she was even more diligent back then. Seemed like she didn't wanna mess up ever, like she needed this job. When the other two managers weren't around I would find her practicing a task too. It was, I guess endearing. Though I guess I should mention that she was in high school at the time, wearing her ponytail. In case you didn't know that" he shares. Tiffany nods with an "Uh huh. Uh huh." "The three would hang out on the couch atop the roof too." "Wait, there's a couch on top of the roof?!" she asks. "Oh yeah. Those two doofuses lugged it all the way up a few weeks after I hired them? That was three years before she was even hired. A.J. was almost as shocked as you were when she first started working," he shook his head, "And they always distracted her from working. All they wanted to do was play around. Really bad influences for her."

"Then why didn't you fire them?" she next asks. The boss sighs again, and answers "Because they brought in a lot of customers with their antics. Which means more money on our end. Those two would head up to the roof during break, take up their 'hand truck fuel,' and run back down, more powered up than before." "'Hand truck fuel'?" Tiffany questions. "Coke. If you really need me to be specific, cocaine. Your girl over there would always get mad that they wouldn't ever give her any, which I am thankful for, at least. I guess they aren't complete buffoons." Tiffany hums, looks at A.J., and appreciates how "in the zone" her girlfriend is. The girl looked like it was all natural for her; talking to the customers, cashing them out, pointing where products are and helping them out. Another idea crossed the taller girl's mind.

"Why did A.J. stop tying her hair up?" The boss leans back and crossed his arms. "I don't know. I only noticed that she let her hair down one day and never tied it back up. Though... It did happen sometime after either her graduation or when my two managers had their last day working here. Heck, it could've even been both" he speculated. Tiffany merely continued looking at A.J., who had just now punched Todd.

More time passes until A.J. walks into the office. "Hey, Tiffany called. Said she's gonna be late" the boss says. A.J. looked confused as Tiffany was sitting right in front of his desk, until she got the joke. "Ha, ha, very funny. Am I good to go now?" she asks him. Tiffany shoots up from her seat and also asks "Yeah! Are we good to go now?!" "Tiffany don't ask me that. You make it sound like you work here. And I already have to deal with Todd and A.J." the boss complains. "Hey!" both girls yelled. "Yes, yes, you both can go now" he waves his hand to shoo them away, writing away on paperwork. "Thanks mister! See ya next time!" Tiffany waves. "See ya tomorrow" A.J. also waves, and they exit through the glass doors.

Once outside, A.J. turns around to look at Tiffany and crosses her arms. Uh oh, Tiffany doesn't ever see this reaction often. Or ever. "Are, are you mad?" she meekly asks. A.J. chuckles and answers "No, I'm not mad. However, you scared me when you showed up. What if Todd found out?" "Love-bug, your boss already knows about us, so I'm sure he'd take your side! Plus, you can easily beat up Todd if he was ever being, what did my sister call them... Bigoted!" Tiffany pointed out. "That is true... I just get worried," A.J. expressed, "In any case, where's the mazda?" "I parked it a block down this street!" Tiffany exclaims, pointing to the right. A.J. extends her hand out and offers, "Well, shall we?" Beaming, Tiffany takes the hand and hums in agreement.

"It gets pretty damn cold at night" A.J. stated, the two walking. "But that just means we can warm each other up later! Oh! Someone complimented on this shirt you got me!" Tiffany brought up. "Oh really? Well that's good. You look cute in it." "Thank you! But I think you look even MORE cute in your long-sleeve shirts!" "Sweetie, we are not starting this little battle again. You're the cutest, and that's final" A.J. said. Tiffany then remembered something that Todd brought up when she was outside earlier. "Wait a second! A.J., why did you wait until way late to eat lunch?! That's bad for you!" the taller girl lectured. "That was because my boss is gonna stay super late tonight getting paperwork done to send to the founder tomorrow. So I felt it was better to not have Todd make two trips, and to have the boss eat later so he doesn't get too hungry later down the line" the shorter one explained. "Wow! See, you really do care about them! You're so sweet!" Tiffany says. "I'm just being courteous, that's all" the girl tries to downplay, but Tiffany knew better.

The two get inside, turn on the car, and let it run for a few minutes so the heater can start. Once it does, Tiffany drives them away into the night. "Love-bug, can I ask you a question?" she starts off. "Yeah go ahead" A.J. responds. "Did you ever get to try 'hand truck fuel'?" Tiffany asks. "Where on EARTH did you hear about that term?!" "Your boss told me! Also you've never told me about the two managers that hired you!" Tiffany says. "Oh lord you mean Mike and Jeff?" Tiffany could totally tell that her girlfriend rolled her eyes when she said that. "They treated me like a little kid. They wouldn't ever let me have any. So no, I've never had coke" A.J. says, with what Tiffany could hear as a hint of bitterness. "A.J., you still have a grudge about that after all these years?" There was a pause when Tiffany asked that, aside from the radio playing music.

"No... Not really. But I'm still upset about them" A.J. says. "Huh? About what?" Tiffany asks, making a turn towards their complex. "A part of me still feels like I've been abandoned by them. They hired me, trained me, hung out with me on the roof. And then the day of my graduation, right when I came back to work, they told me that it was their last day at the store. Both of them. At the same time. Assholes" her girlfriend told her. Tiffany parks, but still leaves the car on so the heater can keep them warm. "They must've visited after they quit, right?" Tiffany asked. Like from the way both A.J. and her boss have shared, the managers were at least fond of the shorter girl. "Nope." "Not even once?" "Not even once" A.J. affirms.

"Well that's shitty... You must've gotten attached to them! You not wearing your ponytail anymore, was that around the same time that they left?" Tiffany surmised. A.J. gives her a wide-eyed look. "Are you like, a detective? Jesus. But yes, I decided to leave my hair down the day after graduation. Since both, I was done with school, and that they left me to continue growing as a person" she tells Tiffany. Tiffany stares at her for a moment, and next ruffles the rocker's hair. " _Hey_ " A.J. jokingly complains. "Well I think you turned out to be a wonderful, amazing girl. And they would be proud to see what you have become. At the very least, I'm really proud of you" Tiffany expresses. "Thank you. I love you, sweetie."

"You're welcome! I love you too! Now, I owe you TWO kisses from when we were at your store!" Tiffany declares, leaning in. "Wait no you can't, my lips are chapped from this cold weather lately!" A.J. pleads. "Love-bug I don't mind! If you'll allow me?" the taller girl scoots closer. "Have I ever stopped you?" Tiffany leans in, their lips lightly brush one another, and they kiss. And kiss again. Tiffany could feel the shorter girl's lips indeed being a _teensy_ bit rough from said weather, but she really didn't mind at all.

After the couple cooked and ate, they decided to wind down as they always do by watching TV. A "M*A*S*H" rerun was playing, and A.J. has been engrossed in the show as of late. Tiffany thought it was adorable, since the girl had gotten into TV thanks to her. The shorter girl was sitting on the floor while Tiffany is sitting on the sofa right above her, running her hands through A.J.'s hair. She lifts the sections that aren't a natural shade, and says "Your purple is starting to fade." "Oh shit, I didn't even realize. Can you help me again with re-dyeing it?" A.J. asks. "Yeah, of course!" Tiffany exclaims. "Thank you" the love-bug said, taking Tiffany's right hand and interlacing it with her own. "And, uh, thank you for visiting me. I really appreciated it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reaganomics! I'm kidding, that's such a silly word. Very little to say today, just that Tiffany and A.J. are cute together as always. Did any of you end up buying the Friday the 13th Collection that came out recently? It's a beautiful set! Mine came in over a week ago! Next week's chapter will have good ol' Chad and Victoria, in the middle of February! Yup, we're trucking pretty fast through '85! Until next time.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

Just entering their apartment after a week of work, Tiffany takes off her kicks and walks to the kitchen. "Now that it's the weekend, we can _officially_ celebrate Valentine's together!" Tiffany shouts. "In that case, I'll be right back!" A.J. exclaims. "O-oh, okay!" Tiffany stuttered, probably puzzled since they had literally just entered. A.J. runs right back down the three stories of steps and to the mazda, circling to the driver's side, opening the door and reaching underneath the seat. And out she pulls a bag, the contents being a gift for Tiffany! Smiling ear-to-ear, she locks up the mazda and skips to their apartment. Well, not skipping up the stairs, otherwise she would either bust her ass or fall down, which would absolutely cause panic for her girlfriend.

She reenters their home, and after locking the door, hides the gifts behind herself while trudging along to the kitchen, where Tiffany still was. And breathing heavily. 'Maybe I shouldn't have ran...' she thinks to herself. The taller girl was looking into the fridge, and turns around to find A.J. "Love-bug! You came back super quick! You ok?" Tiffany asks. "Yeah, I'm fine. So, here" A.J. softly states, handing the bag to the bundle of energy. Tiffany gasps, asking "For me?!" A.J. hurriedly nods, and Tiffany takes it, pulling out the bigger object first.

It was a vinyl. The front an orange color while the back was a light blue, and it piqued Tiffany's curiosity. "Who's this? 'Whitney Houston'?" "Yeah! Apparently this is her debut album! It just released yesterday! I thought that you might like her stuff!" A.J. explained. "Oh okay! Now I'm excited! And then," she pulls out the second gift from the bag, which is a red heart-shaped cardboard box with a pink ribbon tying the lid down, "Aw, chocolates?!" "Yeah! Kind of. There's chocolate-covered apricots in there" A.J. told her, and waited to see her reaction. Which was priceless, because Tiffany gave a look of "Yikes!" A.J. busted out laughing, assuring "Hahaha, I'm kidding I'm kidding! It's chocolate-dipped strawberries!" "Oh, you scared me! But thank you! I love you! You're too sweet!" Tiffany said, giving both a hug and a kiss.

"You're welcome. I love you too. Do you wanna put on the album right now?" A.J. now asks. "Totally! Here!" Tiffany says, handing the shorter girl the vinyl. A.J. walks to the living room and to the stereo. Once she had set it up and pressed Play, she feels a tap on her left shoulder. She turns around, and Tiffany presents an object right to her face! "For you!" her girlfriend shouts. A.J. takes it so she can get a better look, and it's also a heart-shaped box! But this time it had a green ribbon. "For me?" she asks. Despite that she should've known to expect something, she was still touched. "Mhm!" Tiffany nods. "Wait, these aren't-" "Assorted chocolates? Nope! They're all milk chocolate!" Tiffany guarantees. "All of them?" "All of them." A.J. gives her a big hug as thanks. "Happy Valentine's Day!" they said simultaneously, and giggled together.

While that entire exchange was happening, "You Give Good Love" was playing. Now halfway through, Tiffany comments "This is a really nice song. Maybe even, romantic?" "I suppose this can definitely be romantic" A.J. agrees. Tiffany takes her hand, brings her close, and starts slow-dancing with the shorter girl. It had been a while since they were in a situation like this. "Thinking About You" played next, and the taller girl says "HEY I like this song!" "This might become my favorite one if the others won't keep up!" A.J. compliments. Their dancing becomes more upbeat, the two of them just having a good time together. "Someone for Me" began from the album, and Tiffany instantly was digging the beats. On their way to sit down, however, was knocking heard at the door. A.J. gets right back up and slowly makes her way to it. "Poor love-bug..." Tiffany voices, with a sad expression. "I just want one holiday without other people..." A.J. sighs.

The girl didn't even care to check through the peephole this time, swinging the door halfway open. It was Chad on the other side. "Wow Chad, I'm disappointed. I had at least somewhat put you on a higher standard than Kenny. I didn't think you'd interrupt us on a holiday" A.J. said. "But Valentine's was yest-" "Yes, but we had to work the whole week," A.J. interrupted, paused and thought 'That sounded too harsh.' She follows up with "I'm sorry, come in." He awkwardly does so, and waves at Tiffany. "Hi Chad" the taller girl greeted. A.J. closed the door and sat down next to Tiffany, the latter rubbing her back to calm her down. "What's up, Chad?" Tiffany asks.

"I need both of your help, please?" he begins. 'The first time he visits and he's already asking for a favor?' A.J. wanted to say, but decided to bite her lip and instead uttered "Mhm?" "You see, mine and Victoria's family are hosting a ball as a charity tomorrow to give relief for the Ethiopia famine" Chad informs. "Wow, that's pretty radical!" Tiffany compliments. "Yeah, that's pretty nice of you all" A.J. agrees. "But I have a situation, my friend and I do not have a date. Please, I've asked everyone else. Vanessa, Jenny, Fox, Vera, and Deborah have all said no. Please, you're my only chance. It's unheard of to attend such a party by oneself" he tells them. 'He didn't mention Megan. He must not know her well yet' A.J. thought. Nonetheless, "Chad, Tiffany and I are already dating. Also what about Victoria?" the shorter girl brought up. "There are, complicated matters between my family and her's. A fued, or small spat between the two? Neither of us know. Just that we can't be publicly seen together, else our parents will, as you say, 'lose their shit.' Hell, they may even be using this charity for tax-cuts and to boost their reputation, from what I overheard" he said. "Well that's kinda shitty" A.J. remarked. "Who cares? A charity is a charity! If it'll help others, then that's all that matters!" Tiffany says. 'And there's my optimistic sweetheart' A.J. thought to herself, smiling. "In any case, let's go, A.J.! We can at the least be their escorts!" Tiffany nudges.

"Well, yeah, but, we don't even have that kind of money to attend, let alone have dresses for it" the shorter girl warns. "Don't worry about that, I will pay for all of it. If you need dresses, we can shop around noon tomorrow. The ball isn't until 8 PM" Chad said. "Well?" Tiffany nudges again, giving her a smile. A.J. sighs, accepting her defeat, says "Okay, we'll go. We'll be their escorts." "Awesome! Thank you both so much, I'll be back tomorrow around noon! Have a great night!" Chad cheers, and makes his way out the door. A.J. slumps further into the sofa, wondering what on Earth she got herself into. Tiffany gets on top of her and gives her a passionate kiss. "Would you like to continue where we left off?" she asks her, lifting A.J.'s long-sleeve shirt. The shorter girl didn't even think that _that_ was where they left off, but she's not complaining. "Let me lock the front door first."

Later in the evening the next day, the three of them were driving through Ventura Boulevard. A.J. has never actually seen Chad's car, and is pleasantly surprised. What did Tiffany call it? A "1984 Mercedes Benz 500SEL". Individual heat seaters? Geez. 'This is too comfortable' she thought. It had been about twenty-five minutes from the two girl's place, and they seem to have made it to the venue, which was a glorious three-story white building. It had balconies surrounding the third floor, huge arched windows, MANY Corinthian columns, one story of concrete stairs leading from the sidewalk to the entrance, and what A.J. believed is ten chimneys on the roof. They take a right on a driveway that leads to a subterranean level, and Chad stops right before the entrance. A valet shows up and the three exit the Mercedes, Chad giving the valet the keys.

The three stroll to the sidewalk and stop in front of the stairs. "I don't like this one bit" A.J. complains. She had hair clips tying her hair to the left, a dress that had a gradience from the top down, teal to purple. She also had a small purse to match her outfit, high heels to finally make her a bit taller. 'Thank goodness for playing with my mom's high heels as a kid' she mused to herself, being able to keep balance. She still had her eyeshadow, but no mascara nor eyeliner this time. She hated this. "But A.J. you look beautiful!" Tiffany expresses. The taller girl was wearing a crimson-colored strapless dress with her own purse to match, high heels to boot. And instead of the small amount of the normal light purple eyeshadow, it was red this time. She wanted to "pop" just a little bit.

"You really do look nice, A.J. You're rockin' that outfit" Chad tries to convince. He was just wearing a tuxedo, except that the jacket was very blue. There were many other guests fancied up going inside the building already. "You're patronizing me, Chad" A.J. tells him. "C'mon, let's go. My friend is probably waiting inside" he urges, and the three walk up the stairs. A.J. was hoping that Tiffany would try to be just a little bit slick and give her a quick kiss, but there would be no way with so many people around. It was just one night, and she would never have to do something like this ever again. Just a few hours.

Inside was a completely different matter though. Black and white diamond-patterned floors, gray walls, different shade of blue carpet every now and then, and so many vases on black granite tables with beautiful white flowers inside of them. The ceilings were black too. Then the chandeliers. 'THE CHANDELIERS' she screamed to herself. A.J. felt that this was way too fancy for her. And that she did not belong at all. Exiting the reception area and into the ballroom, it felt even more grandiose, despite it all decorated in the same manner. The only difference being the stage against the wall and the tables covered in white cloth near either the entrance or other walls. Even more chandeliers in this grand room with a huge clearing in the center for dances.

"I'm going to look for my friend, I'll be right back!" Chad tells them, and the man hastily walks away. "Now what?" A.J. asks. Tiffany smiles and shrugs, but follows up with "I'll tell you one thing, Britney used to whine about always wanting to go to high-end parties like this. And yet, here we are!" "Britney? Who is Britney?" The two girls turn around and it was Victoria who said that! The only different thing about the blonde is that instead of her deep blue pantsuit, it was a deep blue off-the-shoulder dress. "Britney? She was this one girl I used to know back in high school. Tried to 'rule the school' I guess. Her hair was permed like a lion's mane? Always had so many bracelets" Tiffany explained. "OH, I know EXACTLY who you're talking about!," Victoria realized, then starts laughing "Hahahahaha, Britney WISHES she could ever be invited to a party like this. Oh my gosh I was even able to book Spandau Ballet tonight too! Ugh, Tony Hadley is a dream boat." 'Invited?' A.J. pondered, but payed it no mind. "How did you two get here anyways?" the Catty girl continues.

"We're Chad and his friend's 'escorts,' I guess" A.J. answers. "Wait, so you two aren't here together tonight...?" Victoria asks, notices Chad is on his way back, and finishes "Sorry, I gotta go!" "Are you sure? Don't you miss Chad?" Tiffany asks. "What're you talking about? I'm not the type to miss anybody! Plus we snuck out together to go to the New Year's party, so it'll be okay! You two really worry too much" Victoria waves off, and continues on her way. The two girls look at each other, and the taller one asks "Do you buy that?" The shorter one answers "Not even a little bit."

The other blonde returns, accompanied by a guest. His friend, most likely. "Tiffany, A.J., this is my dear friend Graham. Graham, this is Tiffany and A.J. I met them at the camp I worked at, and they're good friends" Chad introduces. Graham was also wearing a tuxedo, but with a light blue colored jacket and pants instead. His hair was almost styled like Chad's, except that he's a brunette. He takes each of the girl's right hands individually and kisses them, stating "It's a pleasure to meet you two." A.J. tried not to frown, rationalizing that he's just being courteous. "Nice to meet you too!" Tiffany says, in the usual cheerful tone. "I'm assuming you're my 'escort' tonight?" Graham asks the Rocker girl. "Hm? Yes, yes I am. Nice to meet you" A.J. says.

A.J. and Graham faced the rest of the room as he talks about the layout for a bit. As he's talking, A.J. glances behind them and sees Tiffany wiping the back of her right hand on Chad's shoulder. Both that and Chad shaking his head made A.J. laugh out loud by accident. "You have a great sense of humor. I didn't expect you to find my sarcasm amusing" she found Graham saying. 'Oh fuck, did he say a joke?' she internally panicked. "I mean, I get pretty sarcastic myself, so it would only make sense" she pulled out of her ass, though it isn't completely false. Graham turns to face the three and suggests "Shall we at least find a table?"

They find an empty table, and sit down for a while. "Did Chad ever tell you both about the time he tried to show off his 'pulling tablecloth' trick as a small child?" Graham starts. "Graham, please" Chad tries to intervene. "Uh oh, this ending won't turn out good" A.J. remarks. "So he was practicing it on his toy box for many days, with other toys on top to act as 'dishes.' Another friend of ours named Victoria and I would watch, of course" Graham says. "We know Victoria!" Tiffany points out. Graham, looking pleased, says "Ah, well that makes things all the more easier! In that case, one night, while my family and the Sterling family were over at the Kensington house for an important dinner, Chad walks up-" "Graham-" "And he says 'Mother, look at what I can do now!' and pulls the table cloth on the large dining table. While everyone was still eating" their new friend finishes.

Tiffany gasps "No way!" Chad has his face in his hands, shaking his head. "All I can say is that all of our families were quite pissed, _especially_ his." A.J. couldn't help but laugh imagining the ridiculous debacle. "You have a very good laugh, A.J." Graham compliments. "Doesn't she?! She has the best laugh in the whole World!" Tiffany proudly declares. "I see that you have keen senses as well, Tiffany" Graham nods. "In any case," he continues, "Would you like to dance for a bit?" 'It wouldn't hurt' A.J. thought, vocalizing "Sure."

The music ranges from classical to please the older crowd, and _some_ pop, for people like their group. If A.J. didn't know any better, she would've assumed that there were some celebrities here too. They danced for a bit, then switch off with Chad and Tiffany so they can keep their table. Later on they figured that if Tiffany and A.J. left their purses on the table with their drinks, no one should bother with it. "Did you know that this building is actually brand new? It was just finished a few weeks ago" Graham said. "Really? I was wondering why it didn't look familiar. Though I haven't been around this area in a while" A.J. vocalized. "Yes, the developer Danny Howard once saw a photo of a chateau that was located in Strasbourg, which is located north of France. He said he fell right in love with it. Took about two years to rebuild this from scratch," Graham informed, adding "He should actually be at this party somewhere. Perhaps he's too preoccupied with my parents at the moment. Which would be a good thing, otherwise they'd bug me into marrying someone again."

A.J. nods to try to be polite, but isn't actually being interested in that kind of conversation. She didn't think her face showed any sign of boredom at all, but he still decided to say "But enough about those kinds of things. A.J., what are you into?" while they started dancing again. This caught her attention, answering "It may come as a shock to you, but I'm actually into rock music. Some metal, classic rock, progressive rock, all the good stuff." Graham chuckled, which caught the shorter girl off-guard, saying "It's not that much of a shock at all, considering your dyed hair. I think that's pretty cool." "Huh, you're not as bad as I'd thought you'd be. At least when Tiffany and I first met Chad, he was kindof a dick. Took him a while for him to be as nice as you. At least partially" she reminisced.

"Hahaha! He can get like that, won't he? I'm honestly glad that you said that you're into rock, because I recently got into a good group. I enjoy their music greatly!" he tells her. "Really? What band is it?" "Rush!" he excitedly says. "Oh lord, hahaha" she laughs. "What? What's wrong?" he asks, puzzled. "I've been avoiding that band only because a coworker keeps begging me to check it out" A.J. says. "Wow, you're pretty feisty" Graham comments. "I'm, just a person. Nothing more" she downplays herself. "I think I like you." "Huh?" A.J. uttered, wide-eyed.

The man leans in and tries to go for a kiss. Freaking out, A.J. is pushing him away, demanding in a hushed tone "What are you doing?!" Also in a hushed voice, he says "C'mon, A.J., it'll be fine! No one will mind!" "No, Graham, stop!" "A.J., please! My parents are watching! This doesn't have to even be a permanent thing! It could just be a fling!" he tries to persuade, getting more aggressive. A.J. has had enough, however, and successfully pushes him away. Eyebrows furrowed, and devoid of any of his previous personality, he steps forwards and slaps her! "You will not embarrass me in front of so many important people!" A.J. lightly touched her face where she was just struck, then became furious. She reels back, and punches him on the same place where he slapped her. He wobbles backwards but still kept his footing.

A.J. then remembered her surroundings, and her emotions quickly shifted from livid to panicking. All eyes were on them. Thinking back, they were always on them, and she figures out why. They were guests of the man whose family is hosting this charity ball. And she just may have ruined Chad's future career. She timidly looks over to the table where they were originally occupying, but the table was empty. Why was it empty? Because both Tiffany and Chad were storming their way to them. Tiffany had a look of worry on her face, while Chad's face was that of anger. When the two get there, Chad lightly touches A.J.'s shoulder. "Chad! Did you see what she did to me? Get these degenerates out of here!" Graham tells the man. "In just a second. I just need to do something first" Chad politely assures. Graham is snickering, until Chad walks right up to him. Chad this time reels down, and then _uppercuts_ Graham! The brunette fell to the ground.

"Chad what the hell?!" the man asked, grabbing the bottom of his face. "That is my FRIEND you just slapped. That is absolutely unacceptable, she deserves RESPECT" Chad sternly stated. Picking himself up, Graham angrily shouts "Chad Kensington I will not tolerate such rudeness! I _will_ ruin your entire career!," then jogs away. Chad turns around to the two girls, puts his hands on their shoulders, and hurriedly pushes them out of the building with him. Once outside, A.J. looked to her left and found a concrete opening between the building and its columns, so she walked down that way and sat down at a bench that was furthest from the entrance.

Tiffany immediately leans down and holds the shorter girl's face to check if she was in pain. "Love-bug! Love-bug! Are you okay?!" the taller girl asks, very distressed. "I'm fine, I'm fine" A.J. tries to tell her. But it seemed that Tiffany won't hear of it. She stood up and gave A.J. a super hug! And the way how tightly Tiffany is holding her makes A.J. feel like she's not going to let go anytime soon. "Hahaha Tiffany, please, this is a weird position! At least sit down and hug me!" A.J. laughs. The left half of her face feels like it is practically smothered in Tiffany's chest. A.J. sure as hell doesn't hate this position, just that they have company. "No way! Its been a long night! I'm just so happy that I can finally hug you again!" Tiffany exclaims.

"A.J. I'm so sorry. I didn't think he was really like that. Or at the very least I thought he would've grown up a little bit" Chad apologizes. "It's fine, I'm more worried about you. I think I may have fucked up your future-" "A.J., don't worry about that. We're worried about YOU. You should never have to sacrifice yourself in any capacity in such a disgusting manner" Chad assures. "Chad's right, A.J.! If you aren't comfortable with something, you should never have to do that!" Tiffany chimes in. They then hear fast-paced footsteps behind Chad. Chad turns around and it is Victoria, with the two girl's purses in her hands.

"A.J. are you okay?!" Victoria asks her. "Yes, yes, I'm okay. Especially with Tiffany here," A.J. answers, asking "Aren't you supposed to not be with Chad right now?" Victoria blinks twice, realizes her own surroundings, next saying "Oh. Oops." "We'll be okay out here, though. So you two can go back inside" the shorter girl says. "Not sure if I really want to now. And I'd especially would be looked down upon if I go inside by myself" Chad says. A.J. thought for a moment, and decided to suggest something. "Then why don't you two go back inside _together?_ " she asks the two blondes. Both Chad and Victoria were stunned by such a recommendation. Chad looked apprehensive, with Victoria still unsure about actually being seen together. "Our parents would absolutely fucking FLIP if we're seen together while tension is still high..." the Catty girl stated.

Tiffany sounded fed up with the whole ordeal. "What the hell? Fuck parents! Are both of you really going to let _their_ stupid little fight affect your lives? Are both of you going to let every single little decision of their official lives affect your private ones? It's YOUR lives, not theirs! You're not their little toys!" the taller girl lectured. A.J. figured that the situation might have hit close to home in some sense, Tiffany knowing from experience. Victoria and Chad looked at one another, then back at the two girls. "Are you sure?" Chad asks. Both girls answer "YES." "Then, will you two be okay out here for a while?" Victoria next asks. Both Tiffany and A.J. each raise one of their hands to wave them off, assuring them that they'll be okay. So Victoria and Chad turn around, and hesitantly, but surely, took each other's hand, and started walking back. "Oh, and Chad," A.J. pipes up, "Please call before we can tell you whether you can come over or not." Chad nods, and the two head inside.

Now alone, A.J. asks her girlfriend "So... Are you going to let go yet?" Feigning being sad by sniffling, counters "You, you don't like my hugs?" "I LOVE your hugs. But I'd also like to hug you normally as well. Or at least, hold hands." Tiffany sways a little bit, then lets go of the shorter girl. She sits down, and A.J. takes her hand, settling into the bench. "Hey, are you sure you don't wanna go back inside to check out Spandau Ballet?" A.J. voices. "Well, according to their fans, I'd be considered an enemy since their rival _is_ Duran Duran, SO, it's okay! Plus, I'm a bigger fan of someone right next to me! Their biggest fan, actually!" Tiffany said, nudging said girl. A.J. giggles, turns her head, which in turn Tiffany did as well, and gave her a kiss.

A.J. was taking off her hair clips until she heard the most familiar sounds of her life coming from the inside of the building. It was very faint, but she definitely recognized those keyboard-synths from anywhere. She bolted up and looked at Tiffany, hoping for the taller girl to recognize it as well. Tiffany gave her a puzzled look, then immediately understood. A.J. thought it would be a good time for it, reaching her hand out to her girlfriend. Tiffany took her hand and they started slow-dancing.

"Love-bug?" "Mhm?" "Did you ever go to prom?" Tiffany asks. "No, I didn't" A.J. responds. "Then let's make this a special night" Tiffany said. They continued slow-dancing, and even though the moon itself was a Waning Crescent, it's dim light added at least a little more to the ambiance. A.J. mouthed the words as she always did to this song. Towards its end, the shorter girl decided to vocalize at least the very last line. As hushed as the girl they adore, she voiced "Time After." Tiffany pulled them apart and exclaims "Those words! That's what you mouthed on the last night at my old apartment!" Confused, A.J. asks "Wait, what?" Tiffany shakes her head, answering "Nothing."

Tiffany gives her another kiss, saying "I'm sorry for what you had to go through earlier. I shouldn't have pushed you." A.J. ponders, then replies "Earlier? I don't recall anything that happened earlier. The only thing that I remember are two rich numbskulls who have hopefully realized their feelings. And this moment right here." She leans up for yet another kiss, and on they continue slow-dancing, as memorable as the one half a year ago. One that A.J. actually did remember too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Last week's chapter I wrote that A.J. had purple dye, while in her original character design for The Game it was pink. Well, it looks purple when I play as her. So there you go. Chad's car, back then, would've costed him about $51,200. Today's money with inflation would make that $130,000. Let that sink in lol. This was, an interesting night for them to have. They at least managed to end it on a nice note. Next week is a birthday chapter! We'll get to see a little bit of Debbie too! Have a good week!


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany is sitting on Deborah's bed, rocking left and right, as her best friend was getting them sodas. She really enjoys hanging out with her! The bedroom door opens and Deborah returns with a Pepsi and a Sprite. "Is the Sprite for _me?_ " Tiffany asks. "You wish" Deborah remarks, tossing the Pepsi to her. Deborah pops the tab and sits by her desk, sipping her drink. "Are you not going to drink it? Did you really want the Sprite that badly?" the best friend wondered. "Oh, no, not at all! It's just that you just tossed it to me, so I'm letting it sit for a bit so it doesn't explode on me like it does on A.J." the taller girl explained. "Oh, does it happen to her often?" "Definitely! She'll just pop off the tab without a care in the world too! And not a single drop hits the floor!" Tiffany said proudly. "How?" Deborah asks. "She'll just slurp it all up! Hehehe" Tiffany says, then sheepishly laughs, realizing how that might not be a thing to brag about.

"Has she been doing okay?" Deborah asks. "Debbie! You care about my girlfriend?! I Always knew you were my best friend!" Tiffany exclaims, getting emotional. "Of course I care. You love her, and you're my best friend. Also, she's my friend as well" Deborah explains. "Debbie!" Tiffany shouts. She wanted to leap into a tackle hug, but Deborah knew all too well to stop her. "Tiffany, no. I don't want to fall backwards," her best friend warns, sipping her Sprite, "Have you made A.J. fall down often?... You have, haven't you?" "N-not THAT often! She usually catches me! She says that I'm light!" Tiffany stutters. She now hopes that she didn't hurt A.J. by doing so. "Well, if you say so..." Deborah remarks.

"Debbie," Tiffany says, "Did you wanna talk about something? You look hesitant. Actually, you look different in general!" She noticed that Deborah indeed looked different when she first saw her today. Just couldn't put her finger on what. "D-do I?! Well, there has been something I wanted to tell you for about two weeks now..." Deborah said, and her cheeks start becoming red. "Wait, is this about Adam?!" she asks her. "Yes, it is...! He and I are dating now!" Deborah stated, ecstatically. "WHOA, really?!" Deborah nodded. Tiffany squeals and shouts "Radical! Oh my gosh congratulations!," pulling up the glasses-wearing girl and gave her a hug. "Thank you, thank you!," Deborah expressed, separating them and holding her hands, continuing "If I had to be honest, I started learning more and more about how much I liked him, but I was too scared to tell him. I'm just lucky he asked me out in the first place. I'm not sure _I_ would've been able to..."

"When did he ask you?" the taller girl probed, taking a sip. "On Valentine's Day! I was going to call you the next day, but I figured to wait until Saturday in case you and your girlfriend had plans the Friday. I did try to call on Saturday night, but no one answered." Tiffany tries to remember what they were doing that night, and her face lit up when she does! "OH YEAH! We were," she started, and tried to word it to where it didn't divulge personal information for A.J.'s sake, smiled and shared only that "We had a wonderful night. Oh, but tell me about how he asked you!"

"Well, he's been coming over here often enough that my parents finally started seeing how nice he is. When they first met him they wanted _nothing_ to do with him, only because of his hair length and the fact that he wears a leather jacket. Then after showing his manners, they're more than willing to open the door as soon as he drives up! Sorry I'm getting off topic. Anyways, he comes over, and I ask if he wants to walk around the neighborhood for a while. The weather was nice around noon too, and it doesn't get cold until night time. We walked down a couple of blocks, and he stops me. I asked him what was wrong, and he asked me out. Right then and there!" Deborah shared. "What?! Really?!" Tiffany exclaims, drinking her Pepsi. "Yes! And then I accepted, and he picked me up and twirled us around and around. I was really happy, honest."

Tiffany likes how into detail Debbie goes into specific things that are important to her. That Debbie gets to gush about something! Or just being super happy! She wants her best friend to be happy. "Did you two kiss right after he put you down?!" the taller girl asked next. "What?! No, of course not! What are you saying?!" Deborah asked, aghast. "Then you should try to take the initiative at some point and kiss him first! It'll take him by surprise!" Tiffany suggested. "Tiffany, one step at a time, please." "Oh, totally! Just telling you for the future! Take your time with him! As long as you're not pressured to do anything!" Tiffany states. "I'll be fine, but thank you. Adam is very considerate" her friend expressed. "Oh! I still need to teach him some transmission repairs, so maybe all four of us can hang out together?" Tiffany suggests, the fourth member implied as being A.J.

"Speaking of, you didn't answer about whether A.J. is doing okay" Deborah brought back up. "My A.J.?! Right! She's doing great! Radical, actually! I always like it when she's happy! Also, she looks so cute in her Winter clothes!" Tiffany exclaims. "As you've mentioned plenty of times hahaha. Are you excited for tomorrow? You're going to be 22" Deborah asks. 'Tomorrow!' "Tomorrow?! Yes! Totally!" the bundle of energy shouts. "I'm curious to see what your girlfriend has gotten you for your birthday." "You'd think she would've gotten me something?!" the taller girl asks, finishing her soda. "Tiffany it would be weird if she _didn't_ get you something. She really is sweet, isn't she? She kind of let that side of her slip out at the New Year's party from what little I remember..." Deborah pondered.

"She did, didn't she? Can you... Try not to tell anyone, Debbie? She doesn't like anyone knowing" Tiffany pleads. "Everybody else was too drunk to catch it so it'll be fine, don't worry. My lips are sealed. Also, I am sorry I can't get you a birthday gift this time. I don't have a job, so I have to rely on my parents for a bit" Deborah explained. "Aw, Debbie you don't have to worry about that! It's the thought that counts! Just focus on getting your life set up!" Tiffany assures. She knows that living up to parent's expectations isn't easy, especially if they want her to have a high-end career.

"Okay, I will. I am going to re-enroll back into Stanford again in the fall. Considering I'm already behind everyone else by a year-" "Does that really matter? I mean, I'm not smart by any standard, but shouldn't you pace yourself on learning? I don't think there should be a rule that you _need_ to finish college in four years. Though, your life _will_ get taken up by med school too..." Tiffany countered. "Tiffany, please don't say that. You're a smart girl. You're a mechanic of all things! And I suppose there shouldn't be a timer on how long you should be in school... I'll keep it in mind. My parents won't think highly of it though" Deborah laughs. Tiffany glanced at her friend's digital clock on the desk and saw that it was almost 11 PM.

"Debbie, I have to go now! It's getting late, and I gotta head back to A.J.! Plus I work tomorrow!" Tiffany said. "Are, you sure? You don't wanna stay another thirty minutes?" her best friend asks. Something already seemed off to Tiffany though. Deborah isn't the type to urge her to stay during the work week, nor did she look like she was in trouble, like if she needed a deep conversation. It was quite suspicious. "Debbie... Are you trying to keep me here? Wait...! Are you trying... To keep me from my apartment?! Did A.J. ask you to invite me?!" the taller girl asks. She didn't want to sound crazy, but considering that her very own birthday is tomorrow, it didn't seem TOO farfetched. "Tiffany, if that even IS true, that's not fair to ask me that. Like what if it is? And A.J. didn't want you to know? Also, I really did want to catch up some more" Deborah said. 'I never considered that!' she thought.

"You're right! Sorry! I do enjoy hanging out with you too! But I really do have to get home, to get at least SOME sleep!" Tiffany stated. "In that case, have a happy birthday, and tell A.J. I said hello" Deborah smiled. Tiffany beams up and says "Thank you Debbie! And I will!" Tiffany exclaims. "Oh, let me at least walk you outside" Deborah offers. The bundle of energy takes that offer, and the two walk outside, Tiffany saying her goodbyes to Deborah's parents right before. The night was still a bit cold as it's still Winter, so she had to get to the mazda fast. She gave a goodbye hug to Deborah, and Deborah says to "Stay safe!" as Tiffany jogs to the car, turns it on, and heads home.

Once there, she unlocks the door. Locking it back up behind her, she shouts "Love-bug, I'm home!" Towards the opposite end of the apartment, Tiffany hears her girlfriend shout back "I'm cleaning off my make-up!" Nodding to herself, she sits down on the sofa for a moment. A.J. had definitely put on their new " _Songs from the Big Chair_ " album from Tears for Fears, as "Broken" was currently playing. Both she and A.J. were so hooked onto the album that the very next day after it had come out, they also bought the cassette version, which was played over and over again in the mazda. She bops her head to the rhythm, then decides to get some water. "A.J., I'm heading to the fridge! Want anything?" she continued to shout.

"Wait, what?!" she hears A.J. shout back. A bit puzzled, but unswayed, Tiffany was still heading to the fridge. She then hears fast footsteps heading her way. A.J. makes the sharpest turn Tiffany has ever seen her make to the kitchen, and slid right in front of the fridge, arms spread out. The shorter girl practically looks like she's protecting the fridge, sternly stating "Hold it right there, buster!" Tiffany was utterly confused, asking "W-what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the fridge?" A.J. glanced at the large piece of furniture in question, then looks back at Tiffany. "N-not, _necessarily_. Just that-" "That there's a surprise inside?!" Tiffany interrupts. She was remembering about that suspicion she had about Deborah maybe inviting her over due to her girlfriend asking her to. This COULD be related...

"Tiffany let's just go to sleep" A.J. tries to offer. "But I wanna see what the surprise is" Tiffany counters, getting closer. "Tiffany, no" the shorter girl said. Tiffany decided to get closer to her girlfriend. "I wanna see. Please?" she asks. "Tiffany, _no_." Tiffany comes right up to the girl and leans down, holding A.J. and nuzzling her face onto the girl's neck. "Pretty please?" the taller girl mumbles on the shorter one's skin. The latter pulls them apart. "Sweetie, I would rather have you wait at least until morning. Please?" A.J. asks, with the utmost sincerity. Tiffany was actually surprised by the genuine request. She couldn't help but stop trying with her persuasions.

"Okay okay, then, let's go to sleep! I promise I won't look until you let me!" Tiffany decides. "Thank you, sweetie" A.J. smiles, and Tiffany LOVED that. Especially if the Rocker girl was in her pj's already. The pink t-shirt and white shorts! She nuzzled A.J.'s neck again, then gave her four kisses. "I'm gonna shower and change! Wait for me! Don't fall asleep without me!" Tiffany urges. "I won't, I won't."

The next morning, Tiffany opens her eyes, blinks a few times, and sees the most familiar face right in front of her, sound asleep. Tiffany smiles, and gives her a peck on the nose. Nothing. She does it again. Still nothing. Tiffany pouts, and tries going for the girl's forehead this time. Once she does, she noticed that the shorter girl had a small smile. "A.J.! You were awake the whole time!" she exclaims. A.J. opens her eyes and gives a kiss on Tiffany's cheek, greeting with "Good morning."

"How are you wide-awake? Normally you'd be super sleepy like every single other morning!" Tiffany asked. "I guess I'm a bit excited for today." "Today? Is there a special reason for it?" Tiffany tried to hint. She wants to hear it from her own girlfriend. A.J. looks up at the ceiling in thought, then back at her, responding "Well it is the last day of February. Spring is coming up soon." Tiffany sure didn't like that answer, the look she's giving her girlfriend being evident of that. A.J. gives her a kiss, and says "Happy birthday, Tiffany. I love you very, very much." Now happy, Tiffany pulls her to her side and tightly squeezes her. "T-Tiffany, wait-" "No waiting! Thank you thank you thank you! I love you so so much too!" the taller girl shouts.

After many kisses, A.J., while holding Tiffany's hand, sits up and says "Alright, I'm gonna go shower. You really should've had us request today off from work." Tiffany sits up next, remarking "It's fine! I don't mind working! Plus we have today and tomorrow before we hit the weekend! I don't see why we can't just truck through these two days." "Then I'll be back" the shorter girl says, hopping off the bed and out the room. Sound of the shower running, Tiffany follows suit by also getting off the bed, but fixing up the sheets and pillows before leaving the room. Strolling to the living room, she flips the vinyl to the first side, sets it up, and "Shout" from " _Songs from the Big Chair_ " plays for the fortieth time, not because they love that song compared to the rest in the album, but with that specific song coming out way before the album in general. She jams to the that and the next song until it was her turn in the shower.

Out and refreshed thirty minutes later, she skips to the bedroom, and dresses up into her clothes. As much as she'd like to wear her short-shorts and favorite tops, the nights still get a little too cold for her liking, so pants and long-sleeves for a while longer. She applies her eye-shadow quickly, and skips back out of the bedroom. And in the kitchen to stop her was A.J.!

"I was thinking about waiting until we got back home from work, BUT, would you like to see the small surprise right now instead?" the shorter girl asked her. "Whoa, right now? I would love to see it! Are you sure it's okay? You don't wanna save it for later?" Tiffany wondered. "It's fine, I have a couple of more surprises when we get back anyways" A.J. waves off. "REALLY? Radical!" she exclaims. "Then, close your eyes. No peeking!" A.J. instructs. "Okay!" she answers, and does so. She hears the fridge open and close back up, some shuffling on the table, and then felt hands on her face, pulling her in for another kiss! " _Hey_ , no fair!" she uttered. "Okay, you can open your eyes" she hears A.J. tell her.

Tiffany opens her eyes, looks down at the table, and gasps. It's a cake! A birthday cake! White frosting covering the whole cake. The edge border was decorated in turquoise icing, "Happy Birthday" written in purple icing, and "Tiffany!" in pink icing! VERY choice colors! "It's beautiful! I didn't know you could bake!" she said. "Thanks to Home Ec in Junior High," A.J. remarks, "But I'm glad you like it! I worked on it while you were at Debbie's." 'I knew it!' Tiffany thought. "So you did ask Debbie to keep me busy for a while!" she vocalizes. "Yeah, but she did miss you" A.J. comments. "And I missed her! I'm glad I got to see her! Thank you love-bug!" "You're welcome, sweetie."

A.J. picks the cake up and stores it back into the fridge. "We can have some when we're back from work. Don't think it's a great idea to have it right when we wake up... It is strawberry, by the way" the shorter girl continues. "It is?! Thank you!" Tiffany expresses, hugging the cuddly Rocker. "You're welcome, you're welcome hahaha," said cuddly girl laughs, "Now let's rock this day."

The two girls had their usual pattern from that point on, A.J. taking them through the Drive-Thru of the McDonald's for quick bites, and dropping her off at the shop! And once it was time (that time being reminded by Harvs), A.J. came to pick her back up around 7:20ish, and were on their way home. The same cassette still in the mazda, the two were listening to the end of Tears for Fears' "The Working Hour". "So yeah, Harvs was a bit upset that I didn't mention my birthday until literally today" Tiffany laughs off. "Maybe he wanted to get you something, since you're a good worker" A.J. shrugs. "Harvs getting ME something?! You think he cares about me that much?!" she asks her. "I mean from what you told me about his behavior during that week of Christmas leading up to New Year's, I would think so" A.J. answered.

Tiffany looked back on that one week, and has a faint idea of what A.J. was talking about. She wasn't her usual peppy self, and may have mentioned her family situation to him. He was just quiet when she told him, continuing on working on a truck at the time. He later did offer if she ever needs a vacation that she can just take one anytime. 'Maybe I should tell him that I'm okay now...' she ponders. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" plays next right as they begin to park. "Damn, right when this song started..."A.J. muttered. "We can sit and listen to it! We don't HAVE to go inside right now" Tiffany points out, referring to their home. "That's true. We can stay nice and warm in here" A.J. comments. "Toasty!" Tiffany adds. "Yes, toasy," the shorter girl chuckles, following with "Since we're in here, would you like your gift right now?"

"My gift?! I thought that the cake was my gift!" Tiffany exclaims. "Well, yeah, but I really wanted to get you this!," her girlfriend said, reaching down underneath her seat, pulls out a bag, and hands it to Tiffany, "For you!" Tiffany takes the bag, and pulls out whatever square objects that were inside. She could only assume they were singles for a group or band, and she guessed correctly. "No way-A.J.! You DIDN'T! This, I mean, how did-" Tiffany stutters. She couldn't even believe what was in her hands. What she was holding, were five singles of the song "The Wild Boys" from Duran Duran. But they were not the exact same single. They were each a different collectible cover; each one had a different member from the band. She once considered trying to get them all, but was satisfied from just getting the ONE she bought in November, with the whole band on the cover. But here they all were, in her very hands.

"I thought it was a little weird that you didn't want to get them all. I think you should! They are your favorite band, right? I see nothing wrong with that. If you want something, then get it" A.J. tells her, smiling. Tiffany couldn't believe how lucky she is to have someone like A.J. in her life, loving her this much. She started getting emotional. "Aw Tiffany you don't have to cry!" her girlfriend said, concerned. "But love-bug! You're, the best EVER!" Tiffany sniffles, teary-eyed, giving the shorter girl a big hug. "I try my best. That's all" A.J. tries to downplay again. "I love you!" "I love you too, sweetie."

A bag of collectible vinyl in one hand, and the hand of a cute cuddly girl in the other, Tiffany was happily making her way up the stairs with A.J. "I'm still so happy that Cyndi Lauper won 'Best New Artist'!" she tells her, referring to the Grammy Awards two days ago. "Me too! She really deserves it! I'm really happy for her too" A.J. reciprocated. Right before they make the trek up the last flight of stairs to the third floor, A.J. stops them. "Love-bug, what's up?" Tiffany asks. A.J. stares at her, and leans in for one kiss. "A.J...." Tiffany utters, and also leans for another kiss. They part, and A.J. stares at her again, before saying "Happy birthday, Tiffany." "A.J. thank you!" Tiffany shouts, giving her a big hug. "I'm sad that we're not the same age anymore" she continues. "Oh I'm sure we'll have the rest of our lives for me to always catch up" the shorter girl wisecracks. "Then I'll hold you to that! I'll always be waiting!" Tiffany declares.

Now finishing climbing the last set of stairs, Tiffany remembered about something that she decided on recently. "I've been meaning to tell you, the car that I wanted, that _he_ got for me on Christmas" she begins. "Yeah?" A.J. nods. "I still wanna get it! So, I'm gonna try to start saving for it now" she informs her. "Are you sure? Wouldn't that just remind you of him?" A.J. asks. "Kindof, but I need to conquer it, don't you think? I can't let _him_ take over something that I wanted! I have to make it my own! Our own! We can make our own fun memories with it!" the taller girl declares. "Then I'm right here behind you all the way," A.J. assures, "Speaking of, I think it's time to continue to make more fun memories right now."

Tiffany wasn't sure what the cute girl was talking about, until they were almost at their door. She spots too familiar figures she hasn't seen in quite a while! "Megan! Tommy!" she shouts. Megan and Tommy, who were leaning on the wall by the entrance, got up and greeted the taller girl the usual hugging method. "Tiffany! I've missed you! Happy birthday!" Megan expresses. "Happy birthday, Tiffany" Tommy follows. "You two knew about my birthday?! _A.J.!_ " Tiffany emphasized. "I originally wanted to invite everyone, but I wasn't sure how you would've felt about that, so I decided to play it safe by inviting only them. I tried inviting Tina and Nick too, but it's a little bit harder to get them to fly over..." A.J. explained.

A.J. walks up to the door, and instead of unlocking it, she knocks. The other three are confused as to why she is knocking on their own door. It opens, and it's Tina! With Nick behind her! Tiffany gasps _again_. "Tina! Nick!" the three of them exclaim. Tiffany runs up to a big hug for the other blonde friend. "And they ended up being able to fly over after all! They came by my store and I gave them the key" A.J. finalizes her explanation. "Aw, if we had known you two were inside we would've knocked as well" Tommy complains. Nick responds with a cheeky "Sorry" and a shrug. "Whoo! We're going to have fun tonight!" Megan says, giving Tina a hug as well.

Tiffany turns to her girlfriend and gave her yet another squeeze. "Thank you so much!" "You're welcome, you're welcome" A.J. chuckles. "Happy birthday, Tiffany!" Tina also congratulates, with Nick following suit. "By the way, a C.C. gave us a gift to give you when we showed up. She said she'll call later" Nick stated. "Well c'mon, birthday girl, it's time to celebrate!" A.J. said, dragging her into the apartment with everyone else. Eyes sparkling, Tiffany thought to herself 'This might be the best birthday yet!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All six of them hanging out?! Don't worry, we'll get to all of them hanging out another time. I hope you've all been doing good! I miss Nick, Tina, Tommy, and Megan a lot! I also miss writing about Duran Duran! They're a great group! Birthday bashes are always fun, I hope we can have them again someday. It's interesting to note that the two girl's birthdays are the last day of their respective months. I ACTUALLY wanted to make Tiffany's on the special 29th leap year, but I screwed up big time when I had Tiffany say that she is 21 instead of 20 on Chapter 12. 1964 has the leap year, but not '63. Have a FANTASTIC weekend!


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

A.J. felt frantic shuffling next to her and sat up immediately from her slumber. Tiffany woke up from her nightmare again. The taller girl looked terrified, and A.J. jumped right in and held her. She wasn't crying anymore as she used to, but it seemed like the nightmare is still haunting her. A.J. slowly ran her hand through Tiffany's hair over and over again, hoping to calm her down, as she had done in the past four months. It was a good couple of minutes until she could hear Tiffany's breathing slow down and feel her body untense in A.J.'s hold. A few more minutes pass when Tiffany finally speaks up, softly stating "I like hearing your heartbeat," the girl's head still pressed against A.J.'s chest. "You do? Does this mean that you're feeling better?" the shorter girl asks. She feels hands slipping into her t-shirt. "I'm going to take that as a yes" A.J. followed up.

She hated seeing Tiffany like this. She felt like maybe if Tiffany talked about whatever the hell that nightmare is, maybe the girl can get over it. Little by little. But if it's related to _that_ night, then she feels like Tiffany is trying to pretend it never happened. Or suppressing it. Why else would she never talk about it? "Hey," A.J. starts suggesting, "Do you wanna go back to sleep? It's still a little bit early, and it _is_ Saturday..." There was a pause, no doubt that Tiffany probably thought that she's a bit scared to fall back asleep, until A.J. added "I'll be right here. I'll hold you." There was more silence until Tiffany said "You _are_ warm..."

"Alright, then c'mon" she says, motioning them to lay back on the bed, and lifted the blanket over them. Tiffany settles on top of her, uttering "I love you." "I love you too. By the way, you're tubular" A.J. stated, softly. Tiffany giggles. After a good couple of minutes the taller girl's breathing changed, signaling A.J. that she had fallen asleep. Relieved, and hoping to some higher power that Tiffany won't get another nightmare anytime soon, the shorter girl falls asleep too.

"Love-bug! Love-bug! Wake up!" A.J. heard her favorite voice hollering above her. She opens her eyes and there she was, the bundle of energy, hovering over her with a smile. "You're awake! Hey, you're not sleepy!" Tiffany further exclaims. "It does help that I got extra sleep" A.J. chuckles. Rewiring her mind to what happened earlier, she really is worried about the taller girl though. She still remembers that time when they were driving to the airport and Tiffany's favorite was playing on the radio. But Tiffany immediately shut it off out of fear... "A.J., what's wrong?" Tiffany asks, tilting her head. Snapped out of her thoughts, A.J. looks back at Tiffany and answers "Nothing! I was just thinking about you, that's all." Momentarily in awe, then shifting to a smile, Tiffany leans forward and gives her a lovely kiss.

"Okay, let me go shower" A.J. says. "Let me join you!" Tiffany suggests. "You want to?" "Of course!" "Then, don't leave me in the cold for too long and hogging all the water." "Okay!" Tiffany agrees. After having TOO much fun while showering, the two girls had decided to go out today, so they were applying their "trademarks," their make-up and clothes and such. Tiffany, however, couldn't find her green top, and was practically rummaging through all of their dressers to look for it.

"Sweetie, why don't you just wear your blue one? So we can match using our birthdays gifts instead?" A.J. offered, the girl wearing her favorite leggings. "But A.J.! I wanted us to match by color today! We'd look even more cute together!" Tiffany rebuttals, still searching through many of their clothes. "Have you checked the closet? I know we only use the closet by our entrance for jackets and other things, but since you have so many clothes, maybe you hung some up in this one?" A.J. pointed out, gesturing to their bedroom closet. She could've sworn Tiffany had organized all the non-Winter ones in there for when the girl can finally wear them all again. The realization seems to have hit Tiffany, for she dashes to that door, swings it open, and there they were, all of her normal tops that she wears. She pulls the green one off the hanger and hops in celebratory joy, A.J. enjoying the reaction.

Tiffany turns around and finds A.J. staring at her. Holding the top in her hands, Tiffany had a sly look on her face. "What? Do you like what you see?" the taller girl tries to say sensually, gesturing to her chest. The bundle of energy was wearing her bra, since she was obviously wearing her short-shorts and socks, naturally only looking for the top to complete the look. The shorter girl's cheeks started turning pink, piping up "Well hold on, I was just thinking it was funny how fast you were going through all of our stuff." Tiffany walks up and pressed them against the wall. "You wanna, go again?" Tiffany asks, a little bit meekly. A.J. kisses her and says "After we've already dressed?" Tiffany nods, and right when she leans into another kiss, the phone rings.

"I'll get that" A.J. voices, finishing the kiss and taking Tiffany's hand for a split second before letting go as she walked out of the bedroom. Phone rings for the third time, and A.J. picks up the receiver. "This is the A.J. and Tiffany residence, the Rocker speaking." "A.J.? Hey, this is Adam" the very guy answered on the other side. "Oh hey, Adam. What's up?" she prompts. "So something is wrong with my car. I've been hearing either a squeaky or grumbly noise, and I don't even have a clue on to what the hell it could be" Adam explains.

Tiffany walks in to the kitchen fully dressed as soon as he said that. Thinking it was perfect timing, she asks the taller girl "Hey, Adam wanted to know if you could help? He said something is wrong with his car." Surprised, Tiffany asks "Right now?" A.J. affirms with an "Mhm." Tiffany thinks to herself, then vocalizes "Is Debbie with him?" "Hold on, let me ask," A.J. responds, "Tiffany wants to know if Debbie is with you too by any chance." "Deborah? Yeah, she's with me. Why-" "He said yes" A.J. follows up to Tiffany. The taller girl's gears in her brain seemed to turn, nodding to herself, thinking some more, until finally vocalizing "Yeah we can go! Just ask him where we wanna meet up at!" A.J. relays the message back to Adam, adding that they'll be there in an hour, and he tells her where he lives, the both of them hanging up afterwards. "Why an hour?" Tiffany asks. "We need food!" A.J. stated.

Twelve minutes to Nevin from Mid-City, well, adding another forty-five for grabbing and eating food, the two girls arrive at Adam's house. They pull up to the front of it, peeking through their windows. The house was a one-story one, a black iron fence surrounding it. The windows were smaller than normal, the house itself white, with small steps leading up to a porch, and the roof covering over the porch held up with five dark green columns. They get out of the mazda and walk up to the driveway, where they spot Adam working on his car (Tiffany calling it a 1970 Chevy Nova SS), with Deborah watching. Adam notices the two girls and jogs to the gate, opening it and closing it behind them.

"Hi Tiffany, A.J.! Sorry if I ruined any plans you two had today" he greets. "Hi! It's okay! We didn't really have an idea of what to do today, just that we were going outside in general!," Tiffany stated, running up to Deborah and hugging her, "Hi Debbie!" Deborah returns the hug, also greeting "Hello Tiffany." "Hi Adam. Hi Debbi-Deborah" A.J. corrected herself. Deborah gave her a hug as well and said "Hi A.J." "Okay, you said squeaky or grumbly noises?" Tiffany shifted the conversation to Adam. "Yeah, I was hoping you could help me? I don't think I know what's wrong with it" he said. "Can you give me the keys real quick?" Tiffany asked him, and he gives it to her. She hops in, with him closing the hood, and she drives up and down the driveway a bit, before shutting off the engine and getting out, diagnosing "It's the clutch. You're gonna need a new one. I _do_ know a place that sells 'em, if you can afford one now." "I can. Would you like to get it now?" Adam asked. "Totally! A.J., Debbie, let's go!" the taller girl declared.

"If I have to be honest, I just want to relax here..." Deborah piped up. "I mean if she wants to stay, I don't mind staying with her so that she's not alone. So you two can buy what you need to buy to get this car fixed up" A.J. added. "In that case, Deborah, there's chairs that you can set out on the driveway for you two" Adam told her. "Yes, I know. In the kitchen. Thank you, Adam" Deborah smiled. "Then can I have the keys for the mazda?" Tiffany asks the shorter girl. A.J. handed her the keys and Tiffany gave her a quick kiss, assuring "We'll be right back, then! I love you, A.J.!" Chuckling, A.J. reciprocates "I love you too, Tiffany." "Stay safe!" Deborah shouted, and they drive off."

A.J. picked up a little detail about that chair location during that conversation. "So you must visit here pretty often then" she said. "Me? N-not that often. It's just easier to hang out here as opposed to my parent's place because his dad works until really late. My parents can get a little annoying when he's over" Deborah said, the two of them heading inside the house. They each grabbed a chair from the dining table and walked back outside, placing them ten feet in front of Adam's forest green-colored car, so the other two are given room to work on it when they get back. They sat down, and A.J. thought it'd be nice for them to actually talk, since they haven't been able to in quite a while. Not since camp, probably!

"So, have you been doing well lately?" she starts off. "Hm, I've been doing good. I'm planning on going back to school in the fall, so I've just been mostly studying and hanging out with Adam. I would like to get a job, but my parents won't allow it. 'If you have time to work you have time to study' they said. Well, in Korean, of course." "Your parents don't sound too fun, but I can't imagine anybody's parents being fun at all" A.J. comments. "I suppose it's not in the handbook," Deborah giggles, "Do you not like your parents?" "Eh, not really? It's not like I don't love them, I guess. I mean it's cool that they accept me for liking girls, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to be close to them. When they just blame me for everything anyways" A.J. shrugs. "They know?!" Deborah asked, surprised. "Mhm. Though they might've accepted because I've never been open about anything before. Or that I even brought someone to the house in the first place" A.J. guesses. "You two go through quite a lot, huh?" the glasses wearing girl presumed. "Me and Tiffany?... Yeah, I guess we do. Though we have it a bit easier since we live on our own. I'm sure it's hard that both of you still have to deal with your parents" she said.

An hour after continuing to talk, A.J. and Deborah get into many details about what kinds of songs and shows they've been getting into as of late, Deborah finding it peculiar that A.J. has gotten into "M*A*S*H" of all shows. A little bit of "Knight Rider" and "Cheers", or just anything that Tiffany has put on like "Miami Vice" or "Punky Brewster", though she usually changes the channel to MTV's. And "Alvin and the Chipmunks", but that has been in reruns since early December. Deborah has also been watching "Miami Vice" and "Cheers", though she likes "The Cosby Show" and "Murder, She Wrote". Deborah started going in depth about the latter show since A.J. hasn't seen it. They were so engrossed into their conversation that they didn't notice that Tiffany and Adam had returned.

"A.J.!" the taller girl shouts, jumping into her lap. The two girls almost fell backwards until Deborah caught them from the back of the chair. "Deborah, I thought you were excited for the fall" A.J. tries to joke. Deborah grimaces at the attempt with a groan. Tiffany next jumps up and says in a deep voice to Deborah, "You're bad! Just 'cause her jokes aren't funny? And they don't make you laugh? You're bad! You're bad! Bad! Bad bad bad bad!" Whatever _that_ was, made Deborah and Adam laugh. The shorter girl felt clueless as to what is going on. "Someone help me out here" she chuckles. "She's being Juan impersonating Mr. Kotter" Deborah informed. The blank expression A.J. gave off showed that the answer did not help. "From the show 'Welcome Back, Kotter'" Adam chimed in. A.J. shook her head and shrugged.

"It's a show from the last decade," Tiffany helped, stating "It has, John Travolta? In it?" "Oh I know John Travolta. He's in 'Carrie', 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Grease', and, uh, 'Moment by Moment'" A.J. said. "Whoa, you sure knew about him and all of his movies" Adam commented. "Yup! She's a movie buff!" Tiffany bragged. "Wait, if you know about John Travolta, why didn't you know about the show he was in?" Deborah inquired. "She doesn't have a TV! At least until I moved in! And she mostly watched movies!" Tiffany exclaimed. "And listen to music" A.J. chimed in. "AND listening to music!" Tiffany corrected herself, giving the shorter girl a smile.

"What is 'Moment by Moment'? I don't think I saw that one" Adam asked. He looked quite curious. "It's, uh, not good. At all. Which is weird 'cause Lily Tomlin is in it too, and she was great in that one movie ' _9 to 5_ '" A.J. stated, with honesty. She felt like she's still boggled by how that movie was even approved at all. "Tiffany," A.J. said to the girl, who had gotten back onto her lap, "Don't you have to fix something?" "Hm?... Oh! The clutch! Right! Sorry, Adam! I'm gonna go get changed!" the taller girl apologized, running towards the mazda. She grabbed her work jumpsuit and ran into the house to change. Once she's back, she and Adam get started into replacing the clutch.

An hour and a half later, Adam and Tiffany are underneath the Chevy, which is propped up by car ramps. It seems that Adam's dad, who is also a mechanic, never taught him how to replace the clutch, so she's teaching him how to do it as she goes along, the transmission already removed. A.J. is watching them, a little amused, but also happy that she can finally get to see Tiffany work. "Can I ask you something?" Deborah asks. "Sure, what's up?" A.J. said. "I'd hate to bring this up, but that night. You... Know the one. I had once tried to bring it up with Tiffany, but she completely changed the subject. She looked afraid for a fraction of a second, then desperate for us to talk about something else. Has she ever talked to you about it? I've been a bit worried" Deborah shared.

A.J. chuckles for a moment, which Deborah frowned upon, until the shorter girl cleared up with "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that it's such a strange coincidence, because I've been worried myself about the same thing." Continuing, but more serious, "Tiffany, has been having nightmares for months now, and I think it's about that. She suppresses it as much as possible. I really don't think it's healthy at all to be doing that. I really want her to talk about it." Internally though, she thought 'Who am I kidding? A.J. you haven't even talked to anyone YOURSELF about that night...' It felt like Deborah had read her mind, for she next said "Would you like to talk about that night?" A.J. looked off to the side and remained quiet, cursing herself that she didn't want to talk about it one bit, unbeknownst to her, fidgeting with her own hands.

Deborah sighs, and decides to talk about it herself. "I was terrified. When he killed Rob, I was terrified. I feel like I'm only alive because Fox and Vanessa noticed that I had tripped, so they ran to my direction and grabbed my arm to pull me up. Luckily, we weren't being chased at that moment... Oh, sorry" Deborah apologized when she realized who that monster was indeed chasing. "It's okay..." A.J. answered. "Fox and Vanessa suggested that we needed to find one of the cars to get the hell out of there, and while I was still freaked out over Rob that I then realized where his keys were located for his own car. Because I talked to him earlier that morning. So we ran to the Office cabin, and Kenny was there, trying to call the police. Seems that the fuse for the phone fuse box was missing. I found Rob's keys in the desk and Kenny immediately understood. We had to drive to town to get the police."

A.J. nodded, a cue for the girl with glasses to continue. "My hands felt like they were shaking the whole time. But we had to get it done. We ran to the car, and the battery was missing; the gas siphoned out of it too. Then your girlfriend ran up to us." Deborah stated. _That_ definitely caught A.J.'s attention. "She actually saved my life. After I had placed the battery back inside and closed the hood, I was, struck from behind, by a knife. Tiffany wrapped my arm over her shoulder to carry me to the nearest cabin and barricaded the door to keep me safe inside. She places me on the bed, and the last I remembered was her holding a bat and exiting through the window" Deborah finished. A.J.'s eyes widened. She didn't know about that at ALL. Did Tiffany try to take on that brute?

"The Bookish Girl" snapped the Rocker girl out of that thought process, mentioning "I did hear that you saved Tiffany's life though. At least from what Jenny told me." Tiffany, who had just stood up for a breather, wiped her face, caught the gaze of the shorter girl, and excitedly waved at her. A.J. smiled and waved back. "You know she was completely worried about you when she ran up to us. I had to calm her down from crying" Deborah said. As the sun was setting, A.J. commented "I'm the luckiest girl alive."

Tiffany, decidedly taking a break, skipped to A.J. and sat on the shorter girl's lap, giving a quick kiss. and asking "Wanna order a pizza?" "That sounds good. Deborah, Adam, you in?" A.J. offered. "Yeah I'm down." "Sounds delicious" Deborah and Adam answered. Tiffany jumps back up and says "Great! Then, let's get the Chevy into the garage so he and I can work on it after we finish eating! It is getting dark! A.J., Debbie, can you help us push the car inside the garage?" A.J. and Deborah had no complaints, so they did just that, turned on the lights inside of that building, brought the chairs inside as well, and ordered.

After eating, Tiffany and Adam sunk their teeth back into replacing the clutch. They were already almost finished anyways. A.J. had her arms crossed, secretly trying to keep herself warm. "By the way," Deborah brought up, "You can call me Debbie. I don't mind at all! You already did at the New Year's party." "I did?!" "Yes, but it's okay, everyone else were too drunk to remember little stuff like that" Deborah assures her. Tiffany got up and declared "All done!" "Hey, great!" A.J. congratulated. "Good job, you two" Deborah followed. "Naw, it was mostly Tiffany here who was doing all the work!" Adam stated. "Adam, don't sell yourself short! You did a good job! And your dad has good tools! Once you get enough money though, make sure you get a pressure plate and a flywheel! Come to my boss's shop so we can replace those too!" Tiffany insisted, patting his back. "I will, I will. Thank you, Tiffany" Adam said. "You're welcome! I'm gonna change back into my clothes!" Tiffany said, gave A.J. a hug, and whispered "And get us out of here to get you warm again."

The taller girl changes into the green and short-shorts, and comes back outside, where the rest were waiting. Tiffany skips to her girlfriend, and the shorter girl places her left hand on the bundle of energy's face. Tiffany smiles, until A.J. wipes that cheek. "You had grease on your face." "Oh! Thank you!" Tiffany exclaims. "Tiffany, again, thank you so much for helping me. I learned a lot" Adam expressed. "We should all really hang out again. I had fun!" Deborah said. "No problem! And we totally should!" Tiffany agrees, A.J. nodding. "Take care!" "Be safe!" the newer couple said, giving the two girls hugs. "We will! I'll call sometime too!" Tiffany promised. "Bye Adam, bye Debbie! Be safe too!" A.J. said, waving to them as Tiffany pulled the keys out of her pocket, signaling that she's going to drive back.

"Love-bug!" Tiffany shouts, both of them now at their apartment. She was hugging the younger girl from behind. "Warm now?" she continues. "You read my mind earlier at Adam's" A.J. pointed out. "But you actually looked cold. You had your arms crossed while you rubbed your hand on one of them!" Tiffany explained. "Ah. Well, in any case, we didn't really get to match today" A.J. teased. "We're at least matching now?" Tiffany shrugs. "Today was the first time I got to see you work on a car, though. I liked it" she tells her. "You do?! I'm happy!... Did you like my jumpsuit?" Tiffany tries to say seductively. "A jumpsuit? Sexy?" A.J. laughs. "Hey do-" both girls state at the same time. "Go ahead" A.J. urges. "I was gonna say do you wanna watch TV?" Tiffany asks. "I was gonna ask if you wanna listen to music?" A.J. counters. "... Wanna do both?" Tiffany suggests. "That sounds hectic. Let's give it a try."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! A little more backstory on the night, but mostly just hanging with their friends! Because I don't write each chapter all in one session, I accidentally started the fifth paragraph in Tiffany's point-of-view, which sucks because not only did I have to delete it, but it was actually decent writing on my end for once. Damn. Next week will be somewhat of a cute chapter, I do have a change in schedule I'll need to implement soon, but we'll also get into that the next week as well. Stay safe!


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Sitting up and stretching, it was just another beautiful day! Seeing her girlfriend still fast asleep, Tiffany decided to lay back down and scoot closer to the warm girl. Hoping to not wake the shorter one up, she wrapped her arm around her. "Mmm-no, it's still the weekend..." A.J. murmured. 'Oops!' Tiffany thought. She certainly didn't want to wake up her "sleeping beauty," though she's sure A.J. wouldn't like being called that. She closes her eyes and considers things that they can do today. Good ol' Farmer's Market, the Beverly Center, or maybe walk through Rodeo Collection? Santa Monica?...

Her thought process seemingly had put her to sleep, for she was shaken awake by A.J., the shorter girl greeting her with a warm smile. "It's not every day that I have to wake you up," A.J. comments, "Good morning?" Tiffany giggles and asks "Good morning? Do you not know what time it is?" A.J. shakes her head and says "Not in the slightest. It doesn't really matter if it's the weekend, right?" "Right! And for your information, I was actually up earlier! I accidentally almost woke you up..." Tiffany said. "Oh that would've been no good at all. Otherwise I would've attacked you later" the shorter girl warned, tickling implied.

Tiffany also sat up as A.J. opened the blinds, as the wand was within reach. A.J. stared out through the window, and then continued to stare out in some sort of a daze. Tiffany was curious to what she was looking at, so she squinted through the window as well, then laid her head atop A.J.'s shoulder, to maybe get a better point-of-reference? That touch snapped A.J. out of it, with the taller girl asking "What're you looking at?" "The sky. It just looks very pretty today. I don't really notice it sometimes" A.J. tells her. "Tiffany looks at it, and there's not a cloud in sight. Just the never-ending blue. "It is pretty!" the taller girl agreed, adding "You really can just relax in silence, huh?" She remembered how they used to sit together by the lake, but decided to immediately shake away that thought.

"Hmm, just a little bit. Now I'm gonna shower real quick-" A.J. told her, making her way off the bed until Tiffany grabbed her arm. "Stay with me" Tiffany says. "But I have to shower" A.J. responds. Tiffany really wants to just sit with A.J. for a while. The look on her face, which is full of hope, swayed A.J.'s mind, for the girl sat back down next to her on the bed. "Not like we're in a rush to go anywhere, right?" A.J. nudges. "Right! Yay!" Tiffany cheers, laying her head on A.J.'s shoulder.

"Y'know, I don't really like t-shirts. But I think I'm starting to get used to this one" the shorter girl tells her. "Which is weird, 'cause you wear long-sleeves for when it gets cold! You really do like your tank-tops, huh? But I think you look cute in my old pink shirt!" "Sweetie you think I look cute in anything hahaha. I will say I think you look cute in that tank-top. Though that may be my bias talking" A.J. admits. "Your bias for me or tank-tops?" Tiffany asked. "Hmm, I'll keep that to myself..." the shorter girl tried to say slyly. Tiffany decides to pin her girlfriend down and exclaims "You have more of a bias towards your clothing?!" A.J. in turn grabs Tiffany's shoulders and pushes both of them to the right, A.J. now on top. "If you must know, I really want to kiss my bias right now under me. Now how do you suppose we fix that?" the shorter girl proposes. "Like this!" Tiffany shouts, and pulls her down for a kiss.

Both of them laying down the opposite side of the bed, Tiffany thought it'd be fun if the two just continued to talk and stare out of their window, hand-in-hand. "A part of me feels like I'm going to fall back asleep like this" A.J. comments. The taller girl, poking her girlfriend's knuckles with her free hand, assuring "Why don't you? I'll be here!" "No no, I don't wanna leave you alone. You'll probably just get bored anyways. Speaking of, did you wanna go out today?" her girlfriend asks. "You wouldn't be leaving me alone! You're right here, which is enough for me! Though I did think earlier about us going out somewhere, but we can just stay in today!" Tiffany states. "Are you sure? We can go catch a movie or something." "It's fine! Also, I wouldn't be able to be as close to you out there as I am right now in here."

Tiffany leans closer and nuzzles A.J.'s neck, small touches using her lips against the skin, which is soft. Tiffany loves how cuddly A.J. surprisingly is. "You're tickling me, Tiffany!" And how warm the shorter girl is. " _Tiffany!_ " She loves her so much. "A.J.?" she prompts. "Hahaha, yes?" her girlfriend asks, still laughing. Tiffany nudges A.J. and says with sincerity, "I love you." A.J. calms herself down, and reciprocates "I love you too." "I mean it! I really, really do" she urges, getting up. "And I really really do too! Where did all this come from?" the shorter girl asks. "It's just, I wanted you to know. Not that I just notice your importance to me! But, that, I had to tell you. I love you" Tiffany expressed. A.J. got up next and gently kisses her.

"It scares me sometimes how much you mean to me" A.J. chuckles. "What? Why?! That should be a good thing! Not scare you! Like, 'Wow, this girl I care about and love is right next to me! And with me! This is too radical.' Or something like that!" Tiffany said. "I actually do that. Often. Well, excluding the 'radical' part" her girlfriend jokes. "Because you say tubular instead! Hehehe... But, do you really?!" the taller girl further asks. A.J. raises Tiffany's hand, since the two girls were still holding each other's. "Of course I do. You've made my life better, believe it or not, and I can't ever express how lucky I am. I love you" her love-bug answered. "A.J.! I love you too!" "Tiffany, no, I'm answering _your_ 'I love you' with mine. So, I love you too" A.J. reciprocates.

Laying back down, Tiffany points out "So you keep up with it as much as I do!" "Keep what up?" "The 'I love you's! Like how I do the same thing with kisses when we reunite!" "Ah. Well, those words _are_ important..." A.J. stated, looking away. 'She gets so bashful sometimes' Tiffany giggles internally, giving the Rocker girl another kiss. "Oh!," Tiffany remembers, "Why don't we go to that Metallica concert on Sunset?" "At the Palladium? Where did you hear about the concert?" A.J. asked. "The radio. Wanna go?" "We don't have an outfit for you to wear for the concert, sweetie. Plus it's probably sold out. Plus plus we need to save money" the shorter girl said.

"I can wear some of your other clothes! And what do you mean save money? For what?" Tiffany asks. This was news to her. Her girlfriend didn't share about saving money. "For the car you wanted. Did you forget already?" A.J. asked, puzzled. Tiffany did NOT expect to hear _that_ , sitting right back up. "Wait wait wait! I said _I_ was going to save money for the car! You don't have to save money for me!" she worriedly stated. A.J. gently pulled her back down and said "Sweetie it's something that you want, so I don't mind one bit. We're in this together, right? AND I told you that I'm behind you all the way." 'This girl!' "Love-bug you make ME feel so lucky!" Tiffany shouts and gives A.J. a big squeeze.

"So I guess it was kindof a bad idea to see 'Wham!' at the Palladium last month?" she continues. The concert was great, but in hindsight they maybe should've saved money. "No it's fine. We had fun! I wouldn't worry about it. As for Metallica, I guess we can catch them next time. Now, can we go shower?" her girlfriend asked. Tiffany still wanted to lay with her, so she was a bit reluctant, until A.J. follows up with "Then we can eat, and if you're still up for it, we can come back here and cuddle." Tiffany liked that idea. "Yeah! Let's do all that!"

They shower, cook, eat, and as suggested, jump back right on the bed! Fully refreshed and laying down, A.J. is now in Tiffany's arms, which the taller girl is absolutely loving. "Has any of the movies we watched recently changed your mind on your favorite movie?" Tiffany asked. "Not in the least! 'Temple of Doom' all the way! Although 'Witness' is a really good movie too. Ford is a pretty good actor." "Are you still heated about 'The Breakfast Club'?" Tiffany further inquired. It was a really good movie too, but the social class division seemed to hit a bit too close to home for A.J. "I liked it a lot. Pretty damn good music choices, I'm sure you can attest to that. Pretty spot on, on those damn group separations. Having to label every one of us into a category in high school. Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyways, yeah I'm over me getting 'heated' about it. It's nice that a movie is calling out on other people stereotyping us" the shorter girl shared. "It is! I'm glad you liked it after all!" Tiffany said.

"What about you?" her girlfriend now shifted the topic to her. Tiffany had to think about all the movies they watched together, and all the ones she really liked before they started dating. But... "I think... I'm going to pick 'Rocky'!" she decided. A.J. shifted herself to turn around to face her and stated, impressively "Whoa, really? I'd have thought you'd pick 'Ghostbusters'." "Yeah, really! It's very sweet, and down to Earth a bit!" "It really is a great movie. Honestly all of them are" A.J. said. "They are! I liked all three of them! I hope they make a fourth one!" "Another one could be fun. I see no reason as to why it wouldn't be made. I'll probably say actually like 'Rocky II' the most." "Really? Why is that?" the taller girl asks. "This'll sound sappy, BUT, Rocky just waiting by Adrian's bedside when she was in a coma. All the time. Even talked to her." "That's not sappy at all! I think that's sweet!," Tiffany assures, "Does him winning the second time help that choice?" "No, that's just a bonus benefit. It was never the winning part that made the movies for me" the shorter girl expressed.

"Hey," the girl further said, "Do you think Chad will watch 'The Last Dragon'?" The two girls have seen trailers of it before a movie would start, or on TV. "Does he like martial arts movies that much? I think I remember him wearing that 'Karate Kid' costume for the Halloween party!" Tiffany says. She thought about it, then thought back on a memory from camp. "Oh! I do remember Chad dragging Victoria somewhere to town, and when they got back, Victoria complained about having to watch a martial arts movie. It must've been 'The Karate Kid'! 'Cause it did release in theaters in the Summer, right?" she asked. "That's right. It feels so long ago..." A.J. says aloud, thinks, then resettles into Tiffany's embrace. "At least Vanity is in 'The Last Dragon', so it could be a fun movie. Wanna watch it? It should come out soon" A.J. suggests. "That would totally be fun! And Vanity is so pretty!" "But let's wait until Chad somehow calls us and gushes about it." "Okay!"

Sun started to set, which meant that it was beginning to be their favorite time of day! "A.J.!" Tiffany is about to remind her girlfriend, which the shorter girl assures "I know. It's so nice. It's the one thing that I feel is timeless in my life. It never changes. Well, maybe music too, but that's recorded in a sense." Tiffany recalls A.J. going into detail about that and the sky, again by that one lake. She instead smiles at the thought. "Oh? What'cha thinking about this time?" A.J. nudges her. "Hm? Just reminded of you telling me about that back when we were at camp!" The shorter girl had to think about it, afterwards stating "RIGHT. Sorry, I'm just over here repeating stuff over and over again." Tiffany shakes her head, following with "It's okay! You know I do the same all the time!" "With?" A.J. prompts, Tiffany pulling her in for a hug. "With me saying how cute you are, of course!" she answered.

"This sunset is so pretty! Look at that orange!" the taller girl commented, pointing at it from their bed. Their bedroom window had a pretty decent view of it, and they really enjoyed it when they were at home on days off, no matter the room as each window faced the same way in their apartment. "You are never 'not' excited about seeing it" A.J. states. "Because it's so beautiful! You have a similar sentiment about dusk! The look in your eyes when you get to see it!" Tiffany said. She always notices when A.J.'s gaze soften when the day is at its twilight hours. The girl also has it when she looks at Tiffany, mostly when Tiffany smiles at her! Like yesterday when she waved at A.J. while the girl was talking to her best friend!

Once dusk has taken reign of the skies, Tiffany jumps off the bed and ushers "C'mon, c'mon!," pulling A.J. to the window. Chuckling, A.J. states "You are all over the place." "What do you mean?" "I thought you wanted to relax on the bed" her girlfriend explained. "I do! But I wanted you to see dusk! It's so relaxing!" she countered. "Then if it's so relaxing let's enjoy it on the bed" A.J. suggests. Tiffany thought about it, and from impulse, pushed both of them back on the bed. Her girlfriend looked like she was slightly taken aback, which caused concern for the taller girl.

"Are you okay?" she asked her. She felt like she may have gone too far, looking back at the time Deborah asked if she had made A.J. fall by doing such stunts. Underneath her, A.J. smirks and says "Me? I'm 'The Rocker Chick', I can handle a little roughhousing." Pleased to hear that, Tiffany gives her a kiss. Thinking it's the perfect opportunity, the taller girl tries to slip her hands into A.J.'s shirt. But the shorter girl had other plans, for she turns them around again on the bed, A.J. on top using her previous method. Tiffany laughed the whole time, until she was silenced by another kiss. As much as she loved her "little" (another term A.J. might not be particularly be fond of) love-bug, there was something different when A.J. took the lead. Tiffany felt, protected. She's aways happy to be whisked away by this girl. A.J., meanwhile, lifted up Tiffany's tank-top and started kissing her belly, one, two, three, four of them. The taller girl couldn't help but giggle. But she also enjoyed it. Very much.

The Rocker girl came back up and gave Tiffany even more passionate kisses. She was getting heated in a different definition, but something was bothering her. "Sweetie?" her girlfriend reaches out, caressing her face whilst slightly breathing heavily. "Oh, no, it's just that the setting is a bit creepy..." she admits. It was pretty dark in their bedroom now. It was dark in the entirety of their apartment, actually, since they were mostly hanging out in that room all day, not needing to turn on any other lights in their home. The only thing illuminating their complex were the city lights shining through their open blinds. A.J. eyed the place for a moment, then offered "Want me to turn on the lights?" "Not necessarily, 'cause I like the mood in here..." Tiffany trails off, and looks at their open door. "Then, let me turn on the living room and kitchen lights. So we can still have our own time here, if you'd like" A.J. next suggested. "Yeah, let's do that!" Tiffany welcomed, and A.J. hops off to do just that.

While the love-bug was away, Tiffany's mind trailed off to 'Rocky' again, that one scene where Rocky first kisses Adrian, and had an idea. She also hopped off the bed, and quietly snuck up to the side of the door. When A.J. returns, Tiffany immediately fences the shorter girl against the wall. "Can I... Kiss you? You don't have to kiss me back if you don't want to" Tiffany tells her. She curses herself for not exactly remembering what were the exact words were. Nonetheless, A.J. nods, and they continue with their kissing, adding more and more feeling as the two slowly slide themselves down to the ground. 

Sitting on the floor, the shorter girl exhaled "You know, if I knew you were going to do that, I would've played the 'You Take My Heart Away' song from that movie's album." "Wait, you have the soundtrack?!" Tiffany exclaims. "Yeah, you didn't see it on the shelf? I bought it a couple of years ago when it was on sale at my store. You really have the movie in the brain, huh?" A.J. asked. "You reminded me of it! I wanna see it now!" Tiffany says. "Then you wanna buy a VCR?" "A VCR? We can wait until after the car. If that's okay?!" Tiffany asks. "Yeah that's fine. I think we're only able to rent the movie at the moment." Tiffany hums in acknowledgement. She's proud that A.J. knew exactly what scene from the movie she wanted to enact after they made-out.

"Hm?" A.J. next hums to herself, seemingly to ponder on something, then continues to hum, this time a tune. The song that A.J. just mentioned that she could've played. Tiffany beamed from listening, since she hasn't heard it since she watched the movie, and took it as a cue to continue to kiss her little love-bug. "I love you!" "I love you too" they tell each other, cupping the other's face in their hands. At least until A.J. piped up with an unrelated feeling. "I'm getting a bit hungry..." Giggling, Tiffany says "Let's get food!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th! It feels like forever ago since I've published the first chapter on the last Friday the 13th of this year... I really thought this would only have about 25ish chapters, but boy was I wrong! I love these two girls too much. As for the schedule update, starting today, I will be posting a new chapter every other week. So there will not be a new chapter the next week, but the week after instead. I am sorry about this, it's just that my schedule is barely giving me as much time to write. It sucks, but it is what it is. I'll see y'all in two weeks, thank you for still reading. It makes me happy that y'all like it!


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"A.J., I really think this one song from Rush would definitely be up your alley-" "I can't, Todd, I have to save money" A.J. interjects him, the two at their usual shtick at work. "Well, how about I can just show you?" Todd further tries to persuade. "Maybe, another time, someday" A.J. states, still not interested in the least to check that band out. But for some reason she isn't flat out saying no like she used to. A certain taller girl's influence may be to blame. Her face, which looked amused from thinking about her, seemingly to have prompted Todd to ask her something. "Hey A.J.," "Mhm?" she responds, adding more records to the shelf. There weren't any customers at the moment, so they were passing the time by, working. They honestly get lucky breaks of no business for long lengths.

"Now, don't hit me, because I know you might want to, but I really have to ask about something" he tells her. "I'm not making any promises, Todd. There are consequences to every action. BUT, I'll try my best" A.J. states. "So, I saw you and Tiffany holding hands a few times outside as you leave to go home. At least, whenever she visits. Even the smile on your face when you two do so!" he mentioned. Hearing that did not in fact make A.J. want to hit Todd. She did not know what to think to be quite honest. Was he gonna rag on her? Be grossed out? 'Fucking Christ why do I have to keep going through this?' she internally agonizes herself. But she noticed his tone didn't seem to reflect nor hint any of her guesses. "So, you two have to be dating! Right?! Please tell me you two are!" he continues.

"You're... Not freaked out? Surprised?" A.J. cautiously asked. "No! Well, not freaked out. I was pretty surprised, seeing as to how both of you are girls," he explains (with A.J. internally sighing), and continues "But you're happy with her! And she's so into you! Which is great! So you're dating, right?!" A.J. looks off to the side and answers "Yes, we're dating... But you better not tell ANYONE, Todd, I swear to God..." "No, of course not! I'm not stupid! I know how strangely angry people our boss's age get" he assures. "I heard that!" both employees hear their boss shout from the office.

That gave A.J. a good chuckle, which she felt like she needed from what she thought was going to be a tense situation. "Yeah, those types of people need to take a chill pill. But anyways, that's wonderful! That means we can do double dates!" he exclaims. "Double dates?" "Yeah! I was thinking that you, Tiffany, Julie and I can all hang out! Or at least get something to eat! It could be fun! Whaddya say?" he proposes. A.J. had to think about it. It _could_ be fun, but she's never really hung out with a coworker outside of work before. Tiffany might enjoy it, though. "I'll ask Tiffany about it" she caved in. "Whoa, really?! Great! I'll let Julie know!" he excitedly said, and jogged to the office.

"Wait! I didn't say-" she tried to say but he was already out of earshot, "Yes, yet" she uttered. She shook her head, and continued stocking albums. "A.J.," she hears, and turns around to face her boss, who called her name. "Mhm?" "Here ya go" he says, and hands her a cassette. Her eyes widen when she holds it in her hands. The art on it was a crotch-shot, of someone wearing a tiger-print codpiece. But coming out of the crotch was a buzz saw, the person's hands (with blood streaking down them) positioned at the pelvis. If you look closely there are words above the buzz saw, reading "I FUCK LIKE A BEAST", the "U" covered by the person's finger. Yes, it was indeed the elusive song from W.A.S.P., "Animal (F**ck Like a Beast)".

"I just assumed that you weren't able to get it!" she exclaims. "Yeah, I actually got it in a few months ago. I placed it in my desk drawer and completely forgot about it. Oops" her boss explains. "... Really?" she asks, unimpressed. "Hey, I forget things sometimes, alright?" he defended himself, cautioning "By the way, it's raining." "Huh?" she asks. She turns around and sees what he mentioned, looking through their windows. There indeed was the rain, enough of it for her to roll her eyes. "Great, the one time I had trouble finding parking" she says to herself. It was cloudy all day, but she didn't expect it to actually rain today. The percentage was pretty low, and it rarely rains in general. She brought neither a jacket nor an umbrella. "You gonna be ok?" he asks. "Yeah, I'll manage" she assures him.

Once it was time to go (after being asked if she'd like to keep working until the rain had let up and she obviously refused), she exits the double glass doors and pauses for a moment under the very small awning. There was no way she was going to work for even a minute longer than she was scheduled for. Looking back she is happy they covered up the couch on the roof when Winter started months ago. So that has at least not been ravaged by weather. Bracing herself, and envisioning in her head the path she needs to take to make it to her car the fastest way possible, she sprints out and makes a mad dash to her mazda, being a block away.

She hurriedly unlocks the driver door and makes her way inside her car before the rain can follow her lead. But she realized it didn't even matter too much because she herself was dowsed from the water, and that it was getting onto her seat. She briefly considers that maybe she should start having a towel from now on inside the car, but then scolds herself "A.J. if you had brought your umbrella you wouldn't need a towel to dry yourself." She turns the ignition, turns on the windshield wipers, and 'motor's on to the workshop!

She's pretty happy that it at least rained today. The multiple repeated sounds of rain droplets hitting any type of surface was soothing to her. Like soft pebbles. And Blue Öyster Cult's highest successful song playing on the radio certainly helped. Half an hour or so later, she pulled up to the driveway and parked. She slaps on the steering wheel to whatever song is playing this time. She is trying her best to memorize the lyrics AND the melody for it to ask her boss about it later. 'Maybe he knows what song it is' she thought to herself. Still pouring, A.J. spots her girlfriend running to the car while holding the jumpsuit over her head. The taller girl opened the passenger side and shut the door right afterwards.

"Love-bug! I've mi-" Tiffany begins to shout, before she interrupts herself with "You're wet! Did you get drenched?!" A.J. glimpsed at herself, and the taller girl was correct. Her hair had dried a little bit from the drive to the shop, but she was still a bit damp, especially her black tank-top. "Yeah, didn't think our luck was _that_ bad. How's my make-up?" she asks Tiffany. "Not bad!" Tiffany smiles. "... I don't like that answer," A.J. laughs, "Let's head home then." "Wait I thought we were gonna eat out tonight!" "Tiffany, I look terrible. If you really want us to go out, we would have to go home for me to shower, I'd have to reapply my make-up, and then blow-dry my hair. THEN we can go out to eat if you're still up for it" the shorter girl points out. "So... We can't?" Tiffany asks, being hopeful. "I'll let you make that call."

A.J. was pretty certain that Tiffany wasn't going to make her get re-dressed just to go out to get food, though she wouldn't have minded. At least she thought she was certain, until the taller girl started to appear deep in her own contemplation. 'She looks too cute' A.J. thought, and took Tiffany's hand, pulling in for a sweet type of kiss. Afterwards, Tiffany exclaims "A.J.! I was still thinking!" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You were just too adorable." Tiffany went back to thinking. As the girl's gaze lowered whilst settling into her seat, an idea must've hit her head, for she said "Oh!" Tiffany opens the glove compartment and pulls out the sunglasses inside, placing them on A.J.

"There! Perfect!" Tiffany gleefully stated. "Sweetie, I don't think I'll be able to drive with these on" A.J. pointed out. She can _kindof_ see her girlfriend. "That's fine! I'll drive, then!" "But it's your turn to motor tomorrow." The taller girl shrugs, exclaiming "I don't mind!," and shifted on top of A.J., "I love you." "I love you, too" A.J. reciprocates, giving a quick peck and shifting over to the passenger side. As soon as they do so, the rain stops. "Of course..." A.J. remarks, causing the bundle of energy to giggle.

Tiffany looks down at the space between them and spots the new item. She gasps and asks "What's this?!" The taller girl picks up the new cassette in wonderment. "Oh! That's the song that didn't release here for W.A.S.P.! My boss was able to get it for me!" A.J. shared, her excitement showing a little bit. "Whoa, radical! Then let's play this!" "You want to?" A.J. asked. "Totally!" Tiffany answers, ejecting their " _Songs from the Big Chair_ " cassette, and popping in the "Animal" one as they start driving away.

Hard rock immediately starts shredding from the guitars, with drums following just beats after! A.J. felt so pumped hearing the song, especially since it was not only Tiffany's first time hearing it, but also the shorter girls' as well. Hell, maybe they're one of the first few in the country with the song being a bit controversial. "This is so fucking bitchin'!" A.J. vocalized. Once Lawless sung the lyrics "I FUCK like a beast!" though, it even caught the taller girl off-guard, exclaiming "W-whoa!" They almost never hear swear words in music, the only other song A.J. can think of is Prince's song "Erotic City" with Sheila E., when she heard it coming back to Tower after last Summer. Which that song came out as recently as last year, so it's still a bit jarring.

The shorter girl was definitely jamming pretty hard it, by air-drumming and the such. So much so, that the sunglasses she was wearing flew off her face and onto the floor. "Silly" her girlfriend comments, A.J. chuckling and grabbing her shades, putting them back on. The second song was "Show No Mercy". "I like this one a little bit!" Tiffany shares. "Yeah, this one is fucking great! I wish that it was on their debut album, the one I bought with 'Mirror Moves'!" A.J. answers. "And 'Warrior'!" Tiffany added. "Wow, your memory is always sharp on the most odd details. It never ceases to amaze me" A.J. said. "I mean, it was right after I got my job, plus you really like that album! All those albums that you got that day were fun!" Tiffany smiles at her, the light turning green to allow them to carry forward.

"Do you have a place in mind to eat tonight?" A.J. asked, wondering. "Well, where's the beef?" Tiffany asks, as innocently as she could possibly ever try to do. The girl was trying to make sure her gaze didn't cross A.J.'s, which helped considering the taller girl was still driving. 'Oh my god...' A.J. thought to herself. It was no doubt that her girlfriend was hinting at Wendy's, referencing that commercial with the old ladies. She specifically remembers that one week where Tiffany would NOT stop saying that catchphrase, and kept offering for the both of them to go to that restaurant. Which they did. Multiple times, within seven days.

"Where's the beef?" Tiffany asked again, surely to get a rile of the Rocker girl. "Tiffany, please, I don't need to eat burgers for a whole week again like in November" A.J. vocalizes. "I'm _kidding_ , I'll try to make sure that won't happen again! Hehehe" Tiffany laughs. They make it to the fast-food joint and park. Right before stepping outside, however, A.J. was engulfed into a hug. "Couldn't help yourself?" the shorter girl jokes. "You're still not dry yet! Thought I'd try to help you a little bit!" Tiffany admits. A.J., smiling from such a nice thought, states, "Thank you, my love." Beaming, Tiffany shouts "Anytime!" 'Definitely taking up that offer later' the shorter girl thought to herself.

Sharing a quick kiss or two, they get out of the mazda and stroll to the 'establishment,' holding hands for a brief moment before letting go as they head inside. "You know, you remind me of Ric Ocasek right now!" Tiffany specified. "Oh really? Because of the shades? He does wear them a lot" A.J. remarks. it was pretty packed, but she was sure they could find a seat somewhere. In line, A.J. nudges her girlfriend "So what're you gonna get? A baked potato?" "What?! No way! That's so _weird!_ " Tiffany emphasizes, then realized her mistake as the two see a couple walking by them with their own baked potatoes on trays. Tiffany tries to flash an apologetic look until A.J. says "Don't worry about it, they'll be fine."

They place their order at the register, grabbed a seat, chatted whilst waiting, and once their number was called, grabbed their food, ketchup, and sat back down. "I always found these tables weird" the taller girl brought up, next taking a fry and dipping it before eating it. "I guess they are a little weird" A.J. agreed, taking a bite out of her burger. The tables were adorned with vintage newspaper advertisements, probably dating from the beginning of the century. Two different mashup blocks of white or yellow with black text detailing the "deals." "Look at this one!," Tiffany points, "Furniture 10% Off!" "Or this one of a horse-led carriage for $57.95" the shorter girl added. "And a corset for 39 cents! That's definitely a steal!" "Yeah, that is. Look at this graphophone right next to it. For $20" A.J. said. "Graphophone? Is that what it's called? It looks kinda ugly" Tiffany said. "What? You don't wanna get one? We can look for one at an antique store" A.J. teases. "No! I don't want a rickety old thing like that!" the taller girl exclaims, making a "grossed out" expression. They soon giggle right afterwards.

"Oh, uh, I guess he wanted me to ask you," A.J. brought up, piquing Tiffany's curiosity, and continuing "Todd wants to know if we wanna do a double date with him and his girlfriend sometime." "Yeah, totally!... Wait, he knows?!" her girlfriend asked. "Yeah, turns out he saw us a few times being close when I get off work" A.J. explained. "OH. I'm sorry!" "You don't have to apologize! It's okay! At least he was cool about it, so that's nice, I guess" A.J. said, with the bundle of energy nodding in agreement.

Tiffany watching her eat, that girl next comments "You really do take a long time eating, huh?" "I do not! You just eat really fast!" "But you don't have nearly as many toppings on your burger that I do!" her girlfriend rebuttals back. "I feel like adding too many flavors dilutes it. Some days I just wanna taste the beef-DON'T YOU DARE SAY THE CATCHPHRASE" A.J. pleads. "I wasn't! Although, that's a weird thing to hear coming from you, since Dr Pepper has 23 flavors!" Tiffany pointed out. A.J. opened her mouth to say something, but stops herself as her normal quick-acting brain couldn't think of a smart-ass thing to say this time. So she opts to eat her fries instead, signaling defeat on her end.

Seeing this, her girlfriend says "Did I go too far?!" "Huh? No, I just couldn't think of a good comeback, that's all. You got me hahaha," A.J. admits, takes a last sip of her "23 flavors" from her yellow cup, and offers "Shall we bounce this joint?" The taller girl nods, and they throw their trash away and head back to the mazda.

Inside the car, said girl warps her arms around A.J.'s and says "No, _now_ I got you!" Taking off the sunglasses, A.J. chuckles and says, "I wouldn't hold onto me for too long, 'cause I don't think I wanna stay at this parking lot..." "Can I hug you when we get home, then?" Tiffany looks her in the eyes, asking. "Have I ever stopped you?" "YES. When we were heading out to go see Ghostbusters!" Tiffany shouts. 'Oh yeah, forgot about that' the shorter girl thought, then vocalizing "Well we really did had to leave the apartment. Plus, you ended up really liking that movie." "But still! I like cuddling with you" Tiffany states. "You were reaching for my stomach" A.J. deadpans. "I would've also cuddled with you!" Tiffany assures.

"In any case," the Rocker girl says, turns on the car, "Animal" plays again (from A.J. flipping the cassette before getting out earlier), and declares "Wanna take the night? Then get home and cuddle?" "Take the night on a _Wednesday?_ ," her girlfriend exclaims, kisses her, and answers "Yes! Let's!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Work has had me so busy, and with posting every other week, I kinda almost forgot... It is a little weird to post every other week now, but I do feel less pressure. Anyways, I usually check the weather for the specific day I set my chapters on, and it very rarely ever rains in L.A.! Not sure if that's the case, or if the website I'm using is messed up. "Show No Mercy" is freakin' great, y'all need to check it out. I'm glad this fanfic has urged me to check out music from my favorite generation. A.J. and Tiffany are just having fun in their lives. I'll see you in another two weeks!


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

Tiffany wakes up first yet again, opening her eyes. She blinks a couple of times, darts her eyes around the room to try to determine what time it is by the amount of light, and guesses '9:00...ish?' She's amazed that they have always ended up waking before their alarm goes off. Or rather that SHE wakes up, since she would normally have to wake up her little love-bug. Speaking of, she realized that she stared at the shorter girl during that entire thought process. 'Does she know about today...?' she wonders to herself. Today is an absolutely important day for her. For them, hopefully! It had to be important to A.J.! Tiffany was sure of it.

She scoots closer as she normally does, and whispers "Psst... A.J... Wake up." Nothing. Just the shorter girl sound asleep, breathing softly. 'Adorable breathing, I might add!' Tiffany had to point out to herself. She tries again, "Hey, love-bug..." But still nothing. Her eyes trail down a bit as she pauses in thought, then back up to her girlfriend's neck, and had the perfect idea. She carefully sat up, shifted some of the blanket off of them, and very, very slowly, tries to move A.J. onto laying on her back, since the two normally sleep on their side. The shorter girl murmurs something, which made the taller girl freeze, but once she thought the coast was clear, continues to move her. First part of her plan a success, she next gently lays herself on top of A.J. The shorter girl's breathing had sped up just a teensy bit from Tiffany's weight, but she was still too light to make much of a difference. She leans up, and softly kisses A.J.'s neck. She does some more, and is interrupted by two arms pulling her away from her target. Or rather her target herself pulled her away.

"Tiffany..." the girl under her lazily slurs. 'Yes, she's awake!' the taller girl excitedly thought, though she noticed that A.J. is still pretty sleepy, considering that the girl's eyes are barely open again. "I love you!" Tiffany exclaims. Sighing into a smile, A.J. reciprocates "I love you too... Why are you kissing my neck so early in the morning?" "Because!" " _Because?_ " "Because... I love you!" Tiffany reiterated. 'Does she not remember after all?' For a second Tiffany was convinced that A.J. had fallen back asleep, until the latter opened her eyes and sat back up, surprising the taller girl. "Yes love-bug?" she asks her, tilting her head. A.J. shifted to face her, cupped her face, and pulled her in for a kiss. Once they parted, she blushed and looked off to the side, uttering "Happy anniversary, Tiffany."

Just the words she didn't think she needed to hear! Feeling herself light up, Tiffany gave A.J. the biggest hug. "Love-bug! Happy anniversay! I wasn't sure if you'd remember!" she tells her. Feeling arms wrapping around her, owner of them explains "Of course I remembered. It was on my mind all month, especially yesterday..." "Silly! You don't have to be shy about it!" Tiffany assures her. "I'm not, well, I guess I was..." A.J. realizes. 'Gosh she's so cozy!' the taller girl thought, snuggling more into the hug.

"Why didn't we ask for today off?" her girlfriend continued. "Because my boss would've asked me why" Tiffany told her. "Would he? He seems like he would've just been like 'okay' after he sighed or something" A.J. presumed. "That is true..." Tiffany agrees. The two enjoy the embrace of one another, when A.J. finally breaks the silence with "Okay, we need to get ready for our said jobs." Tiffany didn't want to let go, and refused to do so, vocalizing "No, stay with me." "See? This is why we should've asked for the day off" A.J. laughs, continuing "Because I wanna stay like this too." "You do?!" Tiffany exclaims. She's touched. Hearing that always makes her happy. Now she is _definitely_ kicking herself for not asking today off. "Of course I do. Then, instead... C'mon, let's go shower together" her girlfriend offers. "Really?! Yes! Let's go!" Tiffany cheers.

Tying her shoelaces later, the two girls were on their way to do their last work day of the week. A spontaneous idea hit her, and decided to act on it. She bumps shoulders with the shorter girl next to her, who was also tying shoelaces. "Boop" Tiffany vocalizes whilst doing the action. A.J. chuckled, and went back to trying to tie her second shoe. "Boop," Tiffany bumps again. A.J. drops her laces and urges "Sweetie, I can't tie my laces with you interrupting me." "Hehe, sorry" Tiffany apologizes. They finish, with the taller girl kicking the front of each shoe to the floor to make it a more snug fit. One kiss before they opened the door, A.J. gestures to it with a forward pose "After you, m'lady." "Oh no, after you, ma'dam!" Tiffany copies, going along with the joke. They laugh before heading out.

The girls grabbed quick breakfast at the usual place, the shorter one afterwards dropping off Tiffany at the shop. Not before giving a goodbye kiss of course. It was pretty windy today, Tiffany squinting by reflex due to the natural occurrence. Jumpsuit in her arms, she strolls through the open rolled up steel door and shouts "Good morning Harvs!" "Stop calling me that, 'kid'" she hears him say, wherever the hell he's at. Satisfied that she got a response, she skips to the restroom and changes to her work outfit. She's happy that since it's the last day of May, it was practically Summer already! Her favorite season! She and A.J. could go to the beach a lot! Once changed, she heads out the door and gets straight to work!

A few hours later, the girl was dissecting one of the doors as the owner of the car stated that the window wouldn't roll up. She removed the panel and found that the window glass's position was dislodged in the tracks. 'It was probably these tracks' she confirmed to herself, further thinking that they've become loose over time. She grabs a ratchet and screwdriver and dives into the thing, happily humming "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

It was a few minutes when the old man asks "What's making you so happy today?" He was also working on windows, albeit on a different car. He seemed to be taking his time today. Excited that he noticed, Tiffany answers "It's a special day today!" "Why's that?" he asks. 'Uhhh, should I even tell him? I don't know how he feels about girls dating... A.J. did tell me to be careful about letting others know...' she internally posed herself. She instead states "It just is!" She wasn't sure if he bought it, for all he said was "Hmm." Later on he followed with "Well, if it has to do with someone special, just make sure to take good care of 'em. Don't take 'em for granted." "Whoa, are you psychic like-" but stopped herself from finishing that question. She HAS mentioned Tina a couple of times to him, but didn't want to reveal the blonde girl's secret to him. Or technically to anybody.

"What? No, there's no such thing. You just talk about your friends a lot, so I just guessed. Either that, or your Durian boys released a new song or something. So be nice to your A.J., Tommy, C.C., or whoever you keep talking about. Or ignore me, just an old man spouting nonsense" he voiced, then she hears him going back to tinkering again on the door he was working on. She's a bit astounded, because he managed to list off names of her friends and girlfriend to a T! And considering that he actually got mad when she didn't tell him when her birthday was, and a week later getting her a toolbox! 'He actually listens to me! He cares about me!'

Tiffany shoots straight up and walks to the old man and asks, "Harvey?" He pauses, then continues working, responding with an "Mhm?" She surprises him into a hug and shouts "Thank you!" He pushes her away and complains "C'mon, kid, I'm working!" Giggling, she says "Sorry sorry" and skips back to the car she was working on, faintly hearing him say "You're welcome."

Hours later, after fixing up another car's door windows and working on a different one's A/C, she hears from Harv's "It's almost 7. I'll finish up for you when I'm done with this one." Getting up while wiping her hands with a rag, questions "Are you sure?" "Yeah, it's your 'special day,' right? Plus, I got a couple of things to finish up here afterwards. You go have your fun or whatever" he tells her. She almost begins to run towards him for another hug, but he continues with "Go change so you won't be late." Tiffany stopped in her tracks, turned around, and skipped to the restroom. She washed off any dirt that was on her face or hands, changed out of the jumpsuit, and back into her favorite clothes. Reapplying some makeup, she flashes a quick pose to herself to the mirror, satisfied by complimenting "Tiffany, you've done it again."

Closing the restroom door behind her as she leaves, she quickly shouts to Harvey "I'll see you next week! I'm gonna paint my toolbox pink!" to get a rile out of him. Which worked, for he shouted back "Don't you dare!" Giggling, she runs out through the garage door and slows to a stop at the driveway. 'A beautiful sunset!' She never gets tired of it. Nor the person who just drove up. Squealing, she runs to the passenger side and hops inside. "Love-bug!" she exclaims, tossing her jumpsuit to the back and pulling her girlfriend into a kiss. "I've been wanting to see you all day" A.J. admitted, still staying close and nuzzling Tiffany's neck. "I'm super happy to hear tha- Hey, that tickles!" the taller girl comments. She loves how lovey-dovey her love-bug gets.

This day was way too special for them, and they may've gotten too into hugging and the such, for A.J. had to interrupt herself with "No, wait, we shouldn't be all, 'sweet,' here." "Huh? Why not?" Tiffany asks. "Your boss is still working inside, right?," her girlfriend brought up, while taking her hand, "I don't want him catching us, and then him yelling at us or something." "Or... Me losing my job?" Tiffany guessed where A.J. was going with that. "Well, I mean, yeah..." A.J. answers, proving that guess correctly. Tiffany smiled to assure the shorter girl, and stated "Don't worry, he doesn't step out until it's either time for him to go home, or he's seeing off a customer after either of us have finished fixing their car or truck. Plus! I think he might accept us as dating!"

"Why do you say that?" "Well, I told him that today is special! I didn't tell him why, of course, but he said that if it's because of _someone_ special, then I should take care of them! Whether it be you, Tommy, or C.C., or everyone else I talk about! So he knows how important you are to me!" Tiffany explained. "Ah..." the shorter girl nodded. Tiffany gives her a quick peck and says "It'll be okay! I'll try to probe him beforehand! He does listen to whatever I say, despite him getting my band's name wrong! So he probably cares about me!"

"Well that's good. Especially when he did get you a gift for your birthday later. You're like an apprentice to him or something... Wait, you still talk about me to him?!" A.J. exclaims, letting go of her hand to grab the clutch, shifting into first gear and driving off. "Of course I do? A.J. you're too radical! And I love you so, so much! And we do so many things together! I talk about you a lot! He doesn't say he _hates_ hearing about stuff like that! Oh, I know! You should meet him!" she suggests to the "Rocker Chick". "Meet him? Where would I meet him? What, invite him over to our place and out us?" "No, nothing like that! I meant come here while I'm working! Get out of your job early!" she tells A.J. The shorter girl looked apprehensive about that, stating "Wouldn't he be pretty mad about that? It would look like I'm getting in the way, distracting you two."

"A.J., you're never in the way! Don't be silly! And if Harvs thinks he's so good at being a mechanic as much as he acts around me, then it shouldn't be a problem for you two to talk while he works! I know sometimes I don't have the _greatest_ luck suggesting about these types of things, but maybe it'll be different this time!" Tiffany proposes. A.J. glances at her whilst driving, smiles, and caves in "Okay, maybe we can do something about it sometime in the future." Tiffany claps her hands together in delight, saying, "Great! Now that we got that cleared away, let's jam to some tunes!" She switches on the radio and messes with the dial for a little bit to get the right station, and "Almost Paradise" plays!

"Oh, love-bug, sing this one with me!" A.J. looked flabbergasted when the taller girl suggested that. "I can't sing!" the girl states. "Oh yes you can too sing! Love-bug, not only have you worked at Tower for four years, but I've heard you sing! Like 'Last Christmas', and 'Still Loving You', and 'All Through the Night', and 'Head Over Heels', and-" "OKAY okay! I still didn't think you would be listening to me while I was in the shower..." A.J. says, probably feeling self-conscious. Tiffany felt she had to get rid of that feeling. "I love listening to you sing. Sometimes I sit next to the door on the floor just to hear yo-OH! This part! This part! C'mon c'mon, sing with me!" she urges her shorter girlfriend, and starts singing "ALMOST PARADISE. We're knocking on heaven's door! ALMOST PARADISE. How could we ask for more?" A.J. reluctantly, but assuredly, joins her on the second "ALMOST", and they alternated the singing parts after the chorus. The shorter girl was starting to have fun with it too!

After their duet and jamming to other songs on the radio, they park in front of their building. A.J. turns off the ignition and as soon as she unbuckles her seatbelt, Tiffany grabs her hand, reminded of a specific moment. A very precious moment between the two. "Hey," she begins, "Since its been a year, do you...," Tiffany trails off, looks away, then looks back at her with a small smile, "Remember when you asked me out?" It was A.J.'s turn to look away, but she didn't really look back. "Faintly" is all the shorter girl said. Tiffany could tell that A.J. actually remembered pretty well, for Tiffany herself remembered it perfectly. Despite it happening by, that lake, it was too important to her. When A.J. fidgeted out of nervousness, and brushing some of her hair behind her ear before asking. How beautiful and wonderful this girl was. And still is.

"I do remember," A.J. spoke up, "How you decided to respond with 'Totally'." 'Oh yeah' the taller girl thought. She actually completely forgot how she responded to the question. "I said sorry, though! And I corrected myself! I did say yes. Can I hug you like I did back then?" she asks her. "Yeah" A.J. responds. Tiffany unbuckles her own seatbelt and jumped into a hug with her love-bug. They pull apart for one moment, and kissed as they normally do. "You did make me the happiest girl in the world, y'know" A.J. shared. Tiffany practically felt her heart skip a beat, then spread with warmth, just like how this girl always felt. "A.J. I love you so, so, so, so, so much!" she shouted, squeezing her. A.J. giggles, and reciprocates "I love you so, so, so, so much too. A lot." "You missed a 'so'!" "So?" the shorter girl shrugs. The two laugh once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! We didn't really get too much into their anniversary, thanks to work getting in the way sometimes, but that's okay. Why didn't they get each other gifts? They gotta save money for the car Tiffany wants, of course! Not too much into detail about how A.J. asked out Tiffany back at camp, but that's more so because I'll have to write it for the prequel! A prequel? Yes! Maybe. I have at least separately written that little section, and a few others, but we'll get to that hopefully someday. We have to see THIS story to the end, first! Have a great two weeks!


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"Aren't you excited for this concert, though?" Megan asked. "Oh, totally! It's always fun to even go to one!" Tiffany answers. "But the fact that this one is Phil Collins', it's gonna be great" A.J. commented. "Radical!" her girlfriend added. "Yes, tubular" A.J. decides to tease. " _Radical_ " Tiffany urges. Megan giggles at the fake squabble. The shorter girl always enjoyed this type of atmosphere these concert halls and theaters give off; lights dulled with people just chatting and catching up whilst waiting for the main event.

"What is this place called again?" Megan inquired. "Universal Amphitheatre!" A.J. answered. "They actually revamped this place three years ago! It used to be all outdoors! These new seats are pretty nice, don't you think?" Tiffany explains. "They honestly are" A.J. said. The shorter girl was sitting between Megan and Tiffany, no doubt the taller girl offering her to sit here so that she doesn't get left out of conversations. That, and A.J. would've preferred to normally not sit by Tommy because he sometimes says the wrong thing to her. He's not the brightest, but he tries to be a good friend. Speaking of...

"It's a shame that Tommy couldn't make it to this" A.J. commented. "He gets busy! Which I'm proud of, 'cause that means he's doing a great job, but that also just means he doesn't get as much free time as he'd like... Or that _I'd_ like" Megan explained. The blonde girl was sporting a soft, fuzzy looking red jacket, one she wore practically the entire Winter season. She probably gets cold easily in these types of settings. "What is he up to today?" Tiffany asked. "He had a meeting for a movie coming out next year called 'TerrorVision'? Then a different meeting for 'Critters'" Megan said. "Those names sound like movies up my alley" A.J. mulled over. She might not check them out though, considering that they might be horror movies, and Tiffany gets easily scared. That heart-pulling scene from the second Indiana Jones movie was already pushing it.

Megan seemed like she wanted to bring up something else, but decided to drop it when the lights for the venue dimmed to dark, as spotlights shine on the stage. "It's starting!" Tiffany exclaims, as various screams can be heard throughout the vicinity. The taller girl grabbed A.J.'s right hand and held it, probably using this as her chance to hold her hand in "public," at least A.J. assumed so. The girl flashes her with a beaming smile, and A.J. returns a smile of her own, causing Tiffany to hold her hand even tighter out of excitement. 

It was pretty remarkable, as there was space set aside on the right for the horn section, center space for this one guy surrounded by MANY keyboards, the drummer to the left, with his drum set decorated with a staggering amount of crash cymbals, and to the front of all of them, the bass guitarist, the electric guitarist, and the man himself, Phil Collins! And without skipping a beat, they jump right into their first three songs of the night, "I Don't Care Anymore", "Only You Know and I Know", and "I Cannot Believe It's True"! The first one really sets the mood as the opener, with clear drums, synths, and his instantly recognizable voice. The second one really pumped up the crowd, while the third was a very cool, smooth sounding performance. After "This Must Be Love", Phil takes off his suit jacket and shouts "Thank you! Good evening, L.A.! This one is called 'Against All Odds'." He strode to what A.J. finally noticed was a piano to the side, and began that beautiful piece.

"Inside Out" was definitely catchy, if A.J. had anything to say about it, despite it being slower than most, with "Who Said I Would?" being a more generic, but fun upbeat song. "If Leaving Me Is Easy" is relaxing, but the lyrics a little bit sad. "Sussudio" though, oh man. The crowd was completely eating it up. Clapping to the beat and screaming their lungs out! "Behind the Lines" was a bit too "goody" sounding for A.J.'s liking, but "Don't Lose My Number"? 'Damn I forgot how good of a song this was' the shorter girl thought to herself. She liked it quite a lot. "The West Side" was quite interesting to her actually, since it was different from all the other songs she's heard from Phil. Since she assumed that he writes all of his music, this song was a defining point of how talented he is, since it's such a very instrumental song.

Then here it was, "One More Night". This song is, soothing. Tiffany, who was still holding A.J.'s hand, was lightly swaying left and right out of joy. And Megan's smile from listening and watching showed that the blonde really loved this song too. "In the Air Tonight" was right afterwards, and it wasn't fair for it to be, as it was just as impactful as the one before it. Not to discredit the other songs, of course. A very emotional song with a lot of soul, A.J. has definitely heard people on the streets sing along with the song on some type of radio station.

After "Like China", "You Can't Hurry Love" was performed, and this one was absolutely not for A.J. 'This is _way_ too cheery for me' she thought, even more so than "Behind the Lines". But Phil looked like he was having fun with it, so she dealt with it. The horns take a full attack on "It Don't Matter to Me", but it was a more listen-able song to the shorter girl. "Hand in Hand", existed, but "Take Me Home" REALLY brings out his voice, with the instrumental being amazing. And then... A cover song! The Temptation's classic "Get Ready"! She remembers hearing this song from them a bit when she was a very small child. She found herself even enjoying it! Not only that, but he also covered The Impressions' "It's All Right"! It was nostalgia central for her, and it seems like Tiffany noticed for the taller girl exaggerated her swaying left and right motion, making A.J. to do the same.

And then it turned out to be the closing song, for everyone on the stage thrashed sounds with their instruments until Phil jumped, making his landing the cutoff point for the song. Everyone in the audience screamed and clapped, with the musicians back on the stage lining up in a horizontal fashion and wrapped their arms over one another's shoulders, bowing multiple times. "Thank you very very much, L.A.! I hope you enjoyed it! We did! Good night, take care, we love you. Good night, thank you for coming! Good night!" Phil thanks once he gets ahold of the microphone again. And with that, the concert was over in a flash.

After everyone's screaming and Phil and the gang leaving the stage, the three girls get up to start making their way outside. "Gosh that was too radical!" Tiffany shared. "Yeah it was pretty good. And I had a lot of fun, especially at the end" A.J. said. "Really?! Oh, I'm glad! Not to sound mean, but A.J., I wasn't sure how you'd react to it, since you're more into rock and punk and the such, I was kind of hesitant to ask you two..." Megan admitted. A.J. pondered on that, then admitted "That may have been my fault. Though I do really like rock and metal, I like other music too. I just don't talk about 'em that much. Sorry." "No, it's okay! I should be saying sorry" Megan counters. Chuckling, A.J. suggests "Then I'll forgive you if you forgive me?" "Okay!" Megan says. Tiffany giggles behind them.

Leaving through the now exit doors, the girls walk past the jetting fountains nearby. "Oh, Megan, it looked like you wanted to talk about something before the concert started" A.J. brought up. Megan had to think about it for a moment before the memory seemed to hit her.

"Oh!," the blonde exclaimed, "I had to let you girls know! I've decided to get into daycare!" "Daycare?" the two girls question. "Yes! I want to work at a daycare! A long time ago, I was going to start working at a camp" Megan begins explaining, but closes her mouth to ponder on something. Continuing, she says "There was an incident that happened there, and I was thrusted into taking care of the kids for a moment. After it was all over and we had to close camp early, each kid gave me a hug goodbye and said 'thank you!' for being there for them! I couldn't believe it! I never felt that way before! The feeling was way different than what I thought I would've experienced when I signed up to be a camp counselor. Sorry, I'm not sure how to even describe it. But it's something I've been thinking about for the past few months."

"Megan, that's great! What made you start thinking about that camp in the first place? What was it even called?" Tiffany wondered. "Tina got me thinking about it! She, wanted to talk to me about my experience? There? At Camp Forest Green" Megan answered, while they continued to stroll slowly to the mazda. "That's a cute name for a camp!" the taller girl commented. "I guess it is," Megan agreed, continuing "So I'm going to take some classes to get certified! I'm actually a little nervous, which is new to me, 'cause I never experience something like this often, but I think I can do it!"

"Of course you can do it. We believe in you, Megan" A.J. expressed. Following up, Tiffany agrees "We do! I think you'll do great!" "Tina thinks so as well when I talked to her about it on the phone! I haven't told Tommy about it yet, but I'm glad I have you two's, Tina's, and Nick's support! It helps make me feel less nervous" Megan said. "Too bad you don't know someone who is already one to help you" A.J. said.

That sparked some type of brainstorming session for her girlfriend, for Tiffany thought about that for a moment. 'Does she know someone who is one?' A.J. thought to herself, until Tiffany shouts out "Hey! Maybe it'll help to know someone who is also interested to start working at a daycare! That way you and that person can help to pick each other up! Like you're both striving for a goal or something!" Impressed, A.J. chimes in "Hey, that's a pretty good idea," but questions "Do we know anyone who is already at least somewhat curious?" Megan frowned, indicating that she didn't. Hell, they weren't even sure if the girl had met anyone else outside of their group. Which isn't too big of a deal, since they love hanging out with her as she does with them.

Tiffany gasps, however, and exclaims "Fox!" " _Fox?_ " A.J. and Megan emphasized their confusion. "Yeah! I mean after all, she did sign up like we did to be a counselor! So she has to have _some_ interest in taking care of kids in some fashion!" Tiffany explains. A.J. then remembered what Fox told her a year ago? "You know, Tiffany, that might not be a bad idea at all. Fox once told me that her aunts would sometimes have her take care of her baby cousins, and she always loved playing with 'em and making them smile" A.J. recounts. "Whoa, then that's perfect, then!" her girlfriend states. Looking inspired, Megan says "Well, then I'll have to talk to her about it, then! It might be a long shot, but you never know!" "Keep us updated!" Tiffany urges. "Of course!"

The three make it to the mazda, drive and drop off Megan at her place on Moorpark. Not before giving her a big hug and making more plans to hang out. Once that was settled, they make their way to their apartment. At least that was the original intention. But A.J. had a better idea. Instead of taking a left onto Coldwater Canyon Avenue, she takes a right to Valleyheart Drive. "Are we not going home?" Tiffany inquires. "I was thinking that we could hang at Mulholland for a while" A.J. shares. "Mulholland? But we still have one more day of work tomorrow!" her girlfriend brought up. "I know, I know. I just wanna enjoy the night a little bit, if that's okay?" A.J. asks. Tiffany shrugs, exclaiming "I'm down if you are!"

Nodding, A.J. continues "motoring" them to a spot she likes, but almost never goes to. Driving up more and more on the winding Mulholland road, she finally finds her destination: the Mulholland scenic overlook. It was a parking spot on a cliff that oversees the majority of the city, and the sight is just beautiful. And Tiffany agreed as well. "Whoa!" the taller girl exclaims. "Isn't it nice?" A.J. asks her. The sprawled out city lights underneath them, and the night sky above them, the shorter girl decided to switch the station to a more relaxing one. 'If I can find just the perfect one...' she thought to herself, when she heard very specific notes ascending. Kool & The Gang's "Summer Madness" was playing, and it was exactly something she was looking for.

"Hey, I feel like I know this song from somewhere" Tiffany states. "You should, since it's from your favorite movie," A.J. informs, adding, "C'mon, let's go to the back of the car. It's easier to, cuddle." Tiffany's face lit up when she had suggested that. The two girls awkwardly make their way to the back, squeezing through the driver and passenger seats. Just as they settle on the sofa at home, they get comfortable on the back seats as well right now, A.J. laying her head on the taller girl's shoulder while said girl lays her head on A.J.'s. They hold hands once again, and the shorter girl, thinking about the concert they just attended, was reminded of a different one they could've gone to a few months ago.

"Sweetie, remember when you said you wanted us to check out that Metallica concert?" she asked. "Yeah, I do." "Why Metallica specifically?" A.J. further asks. "Oh, that's easy! You've listened to them since when they started, right? Or at least pretty soon afterwards, right?" Tiffany now asks. "Uh huh?" A.J. nods. "I just thought that it'd be great for you to see them again in person. Like being with them all the way! You have all of their albums, and you get pretty into their music, so it could've been a fun time!" the taller girl explains. 'Damn, maybe we should've gone after all' she curses herself. "Should we have gone...?" A.J. vocalizes. "No no! You said we should save, so that might've been the better idea! Just maybe, we should go to a concert every once in a while, y'know?" Tiffany says. A.J. considers this, and hums in agreement. Satisfied, Tiffany shifts a smidgen to kiss her on the top of the head.

A.J. could've said the usual " _Tiffany..._ ," but she found that kiss too sweet. So she instead, moves her head to kiss the taller girl's neck. Tiffany then SQUEALS and pounces her, shouting "You're too cute!" " _Tiffany..._ " A.J. ended up saying after all. "But love-bug! I love you!" "I love you too. Way too much" the shorter girl expresses, kissing the girl hovering over her.

"A.J.?" Tiffany prompts. "Yeah?" she wasn't sure what caused her girlfriend to change her tone. "Remember when I once asked why you didn't get into music?" the taller girl asks. "Yeah?" "Are you sure you don't wanna get into it? You look like you have so much fun imitating the drum or guitar parts when you listen to your favorite albums" Tiffany continues. 'Ah, is that it?' A.J. thought, deciding to externally say "Tiffany, I'm very sure. I may complain a lot about my job, and Todd surely doesn't help make it any easier, nor do the customers, but I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything else. It's like, a, home, to me. I mean, not as much as a home as seeing you when I get off, but you get the point." The taller girl giggles at the last part, and says "Okay, okay, I get it. I won't bring it up again. I just wanted to make sure! 'Cause you've helped me so much!"

"Of course I'd help you. In that case, while we're on the subject of bringing up stuff from a while ago," A.J. says, listens to the radio, then follows up "Next time when we see my parents on Thanksgiving, let's bring your boombox when we stay over, either at the house or at the hotel. So we have something to play in the background when we're on the bed." Tiffany had to think about what she was talking about, understood, and then nods with an "Okay! Totally!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope everyone is having a "holly jolly" day today! I was cutting it SUPER close today, but the chapter is here. I'm so jealous of A.J. and Tiffany, and Megan too, 'cause there were so many good concerts in the 80's. This chapter's "No Jacket Required Tour" would've been so fun to see live, and Phil's album is pretty great. And we get to see Megan for a bit! Yay! Enjoy the next week, I'll see y'all next year!


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"C'mon, A.J., get up! I know you're awake! We have a date to go to later! We promised!" Tiffany exclaims to her shorter girlfriend, shaking the girl next to her. Now hearing her groan, the girl utters "Fine, fine, I'm awake..." Smiling, Tiffany lays back down and covers the both of them back up with the blanket. "You wake me up so you can now watch me as I'm awake? Do you have any idea what time it is?" A.J. asks. "Kind of!" the taller girl answers honestly. "I, was hoping that you'd say 'nope' so that I can say 'well, me neither,' but I guess I won't be saying that now, will I?" "What?! No! I, uh, _nope?_ " Tiffany tries to play along, hoping to make the shorter girl happy. "Nu uh, no dice" A.J. states, and switches to face away from her.

"A.J.!" she tries to plead to her love-bug, but doesn't get a response. " _A.J._ " she tries again. But nothing. Not a single word from the shorter girl. 'Is she really that upset about that?' Tiffany thought to herself. She was getting worried. She scoots close enough to wrap her arms underneath and over the shorter girl's waist, and again, but earnestly, utters, " _A.J..._ " A.J. immediately turns around and exclaims, "Just kidding." Screaming, Tiffany shouts "YOU-" and pins her laughing girlfriend. "You _scared_ me!" she continues to shout, squeezing A.J. relentlessly. "Tiffany, please, you're making it hard to breathe..." A.J. pleads. Tiffany eases her hold, but still lays on top, saying again, "You scared me, love-bug."

She felt arms wrap around her, with the girl responding with "I'm sorry, sweetie. Hey, let me make it up to you. How about we go out for ice cream today?" Tiffany sat back up and remarks "Hey, I'm not a child." She thought of a fun little comeback, and further proclaims "Maybe I shouldn't wear your old tank top anymore." She takes said article of clothing off, and turns around, crossing her arms. 'This should throw her off' Tiffany thought to herself, then realizing that A.J. once again did not say anything, nor moved. Tiffany thought that A.J. was pulling the same trick, but noticed something was actually wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but way too much time was passing. A.J. still didn't talk, nor did Tiffany feel the girl move. For many minutes. Until the shorter girl crawled to her and now being her turn to hug Tiffany from behind. With the utmost sincerity, A.J. said "I'm sorry..." 'Wait, she sounds sad! Oh no, did I go too far?!' Tiffany internally panics, turning around and hugging A.J. back. "I'm sorry, love-bug! I didn't wanna upset you! I was just doing what you did!"

The girl in her arms relaxed in her embrace, especially after what she said. "What would I do without you?" A.J. mumbled, rubbing Tiffany's back. "Love-bug, don't think like that..." she responds to her girlfriend, still feeling the girl's soft hands, until she made a realization. "Oh! Let me put my tank back on!" she exclaims as she pulls away and reaches to the corner of the bed, grabbing the article of clothing and slipping it back on. "Ta-dah!" she continues. "Beautiful," A.J. comments, "Though now I can't decide if I like you better with it or without it." Tiffany glanced down at the tank, then back up. She smiles, and then leans in for kisses. One, two, three, four, as A.J. takes the lead. The shorter girl lifts Tiffany's tank a bit, making a move on the taller girl's stomach, little by little. Tiffany wanted to giggle, but also liked it. A lot.

"WAIT A SECOND!," Tiffany brings up while pulling up A.J.'s head with her hands, "Did you forget about the double date today?!" A.J. stares at her, and sighs, stating "No... I was hoping that you'd forget..." The taller girl smiles, and pulls the shorter one in for another kiss, stating, "C'mon! Let's go shower!" After their routine, consisting of a shower, getting dressed, and eating, Tiffany had to urge her girlfriend to call Todd to let him know that they're ready. A.J. in no way wanted to give out their number to any more people, so she instead had gotten Todd's number. The Rocker girl was already annoyed enough that a lot of their friends show up unannounced in the past. The taller girl at the least hugged her love-bug from behind while A.J. made the call. Some banter, at least what Tiffany would think of it as such between the two employees at Tower, was made over the phone before A.J. hung up the phone whilst shaking her head.

"Tiffany?" A.J. said. "Oh! Hm?" Tiffany prompts. "I said, did you hear what we were talking about on the phone?" A.J. seemingly asked for the second time, having already turning around and still in her embrace. "Huh?! Oh, sorry! I think I was spacing out the whole time, hehehe" Tiffany laughs off. "What were you thinking about?" "Uh, you..." Tiffany admitted. "You, were thinking of me, while you were _holding_ me...?" A.J. pieced together. "Yeah! You and Todd seem to get along pretty well, despite all the complaining you do about him!" she shared to the smaller girl. "Haha, you're joking. Not a good joke, but an 'A' for effort" A.J. said. "I'm not kidding! I really do think you two get along!" Tiffany urges.

"I suppose... Oh, anyways, he was talking about how he wanted to go to The Rainbow after we all hang out today" her girlfriend complains. 'The Rainbow?' "The... Italian restaurant?" Tiffany asks. "Yeah! Like, no? I don't want to go that restaurant. Especially with others." "You don't? Which reminds me! We still haven't even checked out Tech Noir's! It should be up and running like it used to be!" Tiffany stated, remembering how she's been wanting to check it out for over a year now. "That's right, you have been wanting to go to there... I don't know, Tiffany, it's just all the people that'll be there and stuff. It just sounds like a pain in the ass..." A.J. said. Tiffany starts swaying the two left and right, and remembered what else was on Sunset Boulevard besides The Rainbow. "What about all the other places? Like Gazzarri's, the Roxy, or the Whisky?" Tiffany decided to bring up, since those were popular places as well. "Those are different; they're more fun to hang out at since a lot of bands play there. Well, besides Gazzarri's. That place is always way too crowded, even the parking lot. Knowing Todd, he'd wanna check out the Tower Records on Sunset too..." A.J. continued complaining.

Giggling, Tiffany teases "What? You don't wanna visit the main store?" A.J. looks up at her with disgust, making Tiffany laugh even more. "Sweetie, you know more than well that I will never step inside of one if I'm not working" A.J. stated, also deciding to chuckle. "We're already going to hang out with Todd, I don't need more things reminding me of work, as much as I love music" the girl continued. 'I'll make her feel better' Tiffany proclaims to herself, and gives the shorter girl a REALLY tight hug! "We'll have fun! It'll be okay! I love you!" she assures her. "I love you too" A.J. exhales.

Putting on their kicks and taking over ten minutes to drive to La Cienega Boulevard. Once parked, they strolled down the sidewalk of the street for a bit until they made it to where A.J. and Todd had decided to meet up: at the good ol' "Tail o' the Pup". It was a hot dog stand actually shaped like a hot dog. A.J. probably finds it lame, but... 'I think it's cute!' the taller girl decided. Well, maybe not cute, but at least charming. "He wanted us to meet them here?" Tiffany asks. "Yeah, he said that he's _really_ in the mood for some hot dogs apparently. We can just stand here and wait for them" A.J. answered, the both of them a few feet away from the stand. "Can we... Hold hands while we wait?" Tiffany leans close to her girlfriend to ask. She was mostly kidding, since they were in public, especially during the day as well. "You know we can't..." A.J. answered. "I know, I know, I'm just messing with you" the taller girl vocalizes. There was a small pause before A.J. softly uttered, "I love you." Feeling her heart ambushed by such cuteness, Tiffany excitedly whispered "I love you!"

Right after their small mushy moment, the two girls notice two figures coming towards them. Tiffany and A.J. stood right back up in case it was who they were expecting. But alas, just two people walking by. Punks, to be specific, since Tiffany noticed that one of the guy's black armbands had that one band's logo on it. It was a skull, leering with a grin on its face. 'The... Misfits? I'll ask A.J. about it later. Surely she'll know!' the taller girl deduced. As they stood there inspecting the area where the punks had continued walking towards, they hear the voice of its owner that they were waiting for.

"A.J.! Tiff!" shouts Todd, behind them. They turn around, and there he was! The same as always, except the man wasn't wearing his traditional denim jacket. He is wearing a white t-shirt of that old band from the last decade, the Doors, this time, complete with the mug of Jim Morrison, the late lead singer. "Hi Todd" A.J. greets, with Tiffany following with a "Hey Todd!" and giving him a quick hug.

Next to him, though, was a girl. She was shorter than A.J. by about, two or three inches? Which did surprise Tiffany. 'Wait, so THIS is Todd's girlfriend!' she gathered. She grabs both of her hands with her own and exclaims, "Hi, I'm Tiffany!" The girl was taken aback for a second, before regaining her happy composure and saying "Hello! I'm Julie!" The small girl had light brown hair that went past her shoulders, and a pink gerbera daisy clipped to the girl's hair. Wearing a high-low short-sleeved blush colored dress, it was decorated with a floral print. She was indeed very pretty! "Hi, I'm A.J." her girlfriend also greets, shaking Julie's hand.

"Great! Everybody knows each other now! I think it's time to chow on some dogs!" Todd excitedly declares. Luckily enough, there are four stools in front of the stand, so they all sat down, with A.J. being to Tiffany's left, Julie to her right, and Todd to Julie's right. Todd was going on about work as they were all eating, with the guy asking "Hey, do you think we can go check out the Tower on Sunset today?" A.J., not even going to attempt to hide her disgust, groans and demands "Todd, why? We already WORK at one." "But A.J.! I heard that there's a manager that works there at night! I wanted to go meet him, 'cause I hear that he's in a band! I wanted to ask him about it!" Todd tries to persuade. But Tiffany knew better. Her love-bug will not budge on something like this. "I can't, Todd. I don't need to be reminded of work outside of work. Gag me with a spoon. Let me live my life," A.J. states, but interestingly enough, thinks for a bit before she asks "Who is this manager, anyways? This is news to me." "I can't remember... Man, it's on the tip of my tongue, too. Rose? No... Gun? Nu uhh..."

"I think it was Axl, from what you told me!" Julie pipes in. "Right! Axl! Thanks, babe! You're the best!" Todd exclaims, the shortest girl being a bit bashful from being complimented in front of others. Tiffany nudges Julie and asks "So how did you two meet?! When did you and Todd started dating?!" Thanks to Todd and A.J. doing more of their banter, Julie was able to finish her hot dog first, since she was mostly listening. "Where did we meet?" Julie reiterated, looked up to think for a moment, then back at Tiffany and answers "We met at Barney's Beanery!" "In West Hollywood?" A.J. tries to confirm, which Julie nods with a "Mhm!"

"Babe, did you really forget where we met?!" Todd asked. "No no, it's not like that! I told you, that was one of the extremely few times I've ever been there!" Julie assures him, only for him to go "I'm just messin' with ya!" Julie lightly hits him, uttering "You dummy." "But you were saying?" Tiffany urges. She always loves hearing about how other people met each other. She finds it to be like fate, in a way. "Hold on, doesn't Barney's Beanery have that one sign..." her girlfriend brings up. Tiffany didn't know what A.J. was talking about, since she almost never goes to the place herself. It was a decent place to eat at, from what little she remembered of the place. "Oh, THAT sign? Don't worry, it was taken down last December!" Todd hurriedly states. The taller girl still felt confused though, and asks her love-bug "A.J., what sign?"

A.J. looked a little apprehensive, but does tell her anyway. The shorter girl leans in and explains "There's a sign in the building that says... 'FAGOTS - STAY OUT'..." Still unsure of why that's important, Tiffany further asks "...Fagot?" A.J. really didn't look like she wanted to tell her, but whispers "A disrespectful word for, us. If you know what I'm getting at..." Tiffany sat back up and utters "Oh." She immediately understood. They've been victim to such mean phrases. "But like Todd says, it was taken down over half a year ago! So we don't need to worry about it!" A.J. now tries to assure the taller girl, which worked. Tiffany felt tons better knowing that such a nasty sign wasn't up anymore. "Yeah, Tiff! Don't even sweat it!" Todd jumps in. "Tiff?" A.J. questions the nickname. Sensing potential annoyance from her girlfriend, the bundle of energy ushers "Tiffany is okay!"

Tiffany next sensed someone staring at her, and she was correct, for Julie was looking at her in curiosity. The taller girl wanted to ask what's up, but then realized A.J.'s, Todd's, and her very own mistake. Julie may've overheard what she and her girlfriend were talking about. Or maybe Julie figured out that they were dating! Tiffany vocalizes a "Hm?" with a smile to the shortest girl, snapping said person out of her trance. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just," Julie looks hesitant to speak her mind, but does so anyways, her turn to lean in and with a hushed voice, compliments "You two look cute together..." Hearing that alone made A.J. almost choke on her Dr Pepper, with Tiffany immediately rubbing her back. "A.J.!" she exclaims. Coughing a few times, A.J., with a raspy voice, utters, "I'm okay."

Smiling, Tiffany mused herself with 'Of course she is! She's my "Rocker Chick" after all!' A.J., however, wasn't as happy. She didn't seem angry per say, but more so concerned. "Todd, you _told_ her about us?" A.J. asked. "A.J., hear me out. I HAD to make sure she was cool with, you know. Otherwise, how would've she reacted if I didn't tell her and we met up with you two?" Todd rationalized. Which definitely made sense, all things considered.

Pausing, processing, and then finally speaking, A.J. responded with "You're right. I'm sorry." Grinning, Todd suggests "Hey, how 'bout I forgive you if you finally check out Rush?" "I'd rather never be forgiven for the rest of my life" A.J. deadpans. "Todd, be nice. A.J., he accepts your apology" Julie assures them.

Once they finally finished eating, they all got up and walked a couple feet before Todd pipes up, "Can y'all wait up for me for a moment?" "What for?" Julie asks. "I'm just gonna grab another hot dog for on the road!" he tells them, jogging back to the stand to make another order. "Glutton!" A.J. shouts to him, which he uses his hand to wave off. Julie giggles from their continued banter, reflecting "He does like to eat." Tiffany, meanwhile, was enjoying this, thinking that it's so nice to get along so well with new friends. "Oh, uh, about that comment you made about us," A.J. brought up whilst looking to the side, referring to the one Julie made about her and Tiffany just moments ago, "Thank you..." The girl probably didn't want Julie to see her embarrassment. Tiffany couldn't contain herself, though.

"A.J.!" she exclaims, hugging her girlfriend. 'She's so cute!' " _Tiffany_ , we're outside..." the Rocker girl tries to plead. Tiffany counters "It's okay! I'm just hugging you! No one will bat an eye about that!" "I suppose..." A.J. secedes. Once Tiffany lets go, they notice that Julie is staring at them. "Oh! Sorry, Julie!" Tiffany apologizes. "Oh no, it's okay! I was wondering, how did you t-" Julie starts saying, but is interrupted by her boyfriend. "Alright, I have my food!" Todd tells them, "Now, wanna hit up Tower?" "No, I do not, actually" A.J. rejected the notion, of him still trying to convince her. "Todd, we can go another time" Julie urges. "Okay, okay, you're right" Todd agrees. Tiffany had an idea. "Julie, where do YOU want to go?" she asks the shortest girl.

"M-me?!" Julie stutters. "Yeah!" Tiffany confirms. "That's a great idea, Tiffany! Babe, where do you wanna go?" Todd asks his girlfriend. Julie crossed her arms and looked down for a moment, deep in thought. "I know!," Julie says, "How about Flip! The Discount Warehouse!" "That could be fun," A.J. states, "On Melrose, right?" "Yeah. Should we walk from there?" Todd suggests. As much as Tiffany wouldn't mind walking over half an hour to Flip, she knows very well that her love-bug isn't the most athletic, and wouldn't be too keen on going. In all honesty, neither did Julie look up to it. "Why don't we take our car? So that way when we're done, we can drop you two off to your car?" she offers the other couple. Todd and Julie look at each other, and agreed with "We're down with that."

A.J. driving and finding a parking spot didn't take that long, with getting to the place being about five minutes and another five or so finding the spot. While getting out, Tiffany asks "So when was your anniversary date? Like, the day one of you asked the other out?" "August 23rd! Our first year anniversary was last month!" Todd proudly answered. "I remember you telling me about that" A.J. commented. "When is yours?" Julie asks the two girls as they start walking. "May 31st" both girls stated simultaneously, causing the both of them to smile at one another. "So that was when you were away for a few months that Summer, right?" Todd asks. "That's right" A.J. responded. "Man, it sure was a bummer when you left. Like me being a manager at Tower isn't terrible, but without you, the store's ace, I felt like I was doing twice the workload!" he continued.

"I just, do what I do. It's nothing" A.J. tries to brush off. "Nothing?! A.J., you make everything look so easy!" he rebuttals. That conversation did make Tiffany think about something that occasionally pops up in her mind but always forgets to ask: Why hasn't A.J. moved up to be a manager? 'She's so good at her job! She really should get a promotion!' she thought to herself. While lost in thought, they all enter the massive one-story building, which was decorated in pastel stripes, teal, pink, and orange? Or beige? It was too late to check, for she and the rest were already inside.

There was a lot of clothes, with different sections for other things, like jackets, records, knick-knacks, postcards, it was a pretty fun place. "There's this dress that I saw here a week ago! I'm gonna go check if it's still here!" Julie said with the utmost hope in her eyes. "Okay! We're gonna check out some of the jackets!" Tiffany tells the couple, to give them an idea of where to find them later. Julie nods with Todd giving a thumbs up, heading off towards the clothes. A.J. follows Tiffany to the outer garments.

"With living in a place like L.A., I doubt we'd ever need a jacket" her girlfriend comments. "You never know! Plus, some of these look kinda nice. Look at this leather one! It'd probably suit you! Get it? Suit? Me offering a jacket?" Tiffany tries. Chuckling, A.J. says "Nice try. But no, I prefer long-sleeve shirts if I ever get cold. Plus, leather jackets are more Adam's thing than mine." The taller girl gasps, following with "You're right! Hey, do you think we should get him one?!" "Hm, maybe. We'd have to know his size first." "Then let's get him one next time!" Tiffany declares. "Sure" A.J. agrees.

Tiffany, with an idea popping into her head, decided to go along with it, looking around to make sure it was safe for her to enact it. Satisfied, she pulls out a quarter and drops it on the floor. "Oh, can you get that for me?" she asks the shorter girl, who is not keen to Tiffany's ruse. "Yeah, I gotcha." When A.J. crouches down, Tiffany follows suit, and pulls A.J. into a kiss. "I love you!" she whispers. Conceding once again, A.J. reciprocates "I love you too." The Rocker girl stands up and offers her hand, Tiffany taking it to be pulled up, and also giving them an excuse to hold hands for the briefest of moments.

As they did so, Todd and Julie come strolling down the aisle, with the shortest girl showing a hint of dismay. "It's gone" Julie said. "Aw, I'm sorry Julie!" Tiffany expresses. "She was talking about it all week too" Todd expounds. "It's just like the album I wanted to buy too, but I couldn't find it anywhere. "The 'New Mexico' album from Oppenheimer...?" Todd asks. Julie nodded. "I mean," A.J. speaks up, "Not to get your hopes up, but maybe the dress was shifted around to a different part of the store. It occasionally happens at our store. Like somebody hiding it somewhere else so that they can purchase it later?" "Oh yeah, customers do that a lot at our store. It gets a little annoying. What do you say? You wanna scour the rest of the store?" Todd proposes.

Hope sparkling her eyes once again, Julie says "Yeah! Let's!," and takes Todd's hand, pulling him away from the two girls. "That was nice of you to say!" Tiffany says. "I mean, it does happen," A.J. shrugs, and offers "Shall we check out the record collection here?" "Yeah!" They head to it, and start flipping throught the sleeves. A lot of it was stuff they already had, no need to get a second copy. "Holy shit" she hears her girlfriend utter. Tiffany looks to her right to see what all the fuss is about, and finds the shorter girl showing her an album. It was a white one, with a green silhouette of what is presumably a man in a suit and hat. But the name of it at the top caught her attention the most. "Oppenheimer... Analysis!" Tiffany reads in shock, next looking at A.J. "What are the odds? This may be our new friend's lucky day" A.J. comments. "Let's show her!" Tiffany exclaims. A.J. agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello... Sorry, I am exhausted, and I also apologize for not bringing this chapter last week due to hospital stuff. Anyways, did y'all know that Axl Rose used to work at Tower Records for a time? I wanted to do more with this double date, since we finally get to meet Julie, but alas, maybe another time. Unfortunately I had to write a derogatory term in this one, but things really weren't too great in the 80's. A.J. and Tiffany are still cute together though, and they won't let that affect their relationship. Last chapter was in June, this one in September, things are really moving along! Until next time!


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the A.J. and Tiffany Saga!

"A.J.! A.J.! Go ask him about it!" Tiffany exclaims, attempting to push her past the counter. A.J. had just gotten off work, while her bundle of energy got off work herself pretty early, so the girl was hanging out and waiting for her girlfriend at Tower Records. Last month Tiffany had brought up to her why isn't she a manager, despite working there for five years. A.J. hadn't ever really thought about it for herself. At least for a long time. She'd considered it twice in her life though. The first time was when her two old managers Mike and Jeff bailed on her by quitting. Like maybe it was a good stepping stone to help her grow. She just never got around to it. Maybe a part of her was scared of changing how good she had it, so she let it pass her by. The second time was when Todd was hired to be a manager. She couldn't even believe that HE of all people was a manager. At least, that was how she felt back then. He really is good at his job.

But here she is, after internally agonizing herself for weeks, but thus finally bringing up the courage to be a manager. There's only two problems however. One, if her boss would even say yes. And two, she's _really_ nervous. Her girlfriend seems to have sensed it, for she says "It'll be okay! I'm here for you!" in her cheery way. It really is thanks to Tiffany that she's even going to go for it this time. That constant, relieving, assuring presence. Even if the girl is a bit too spontaneous sometimes. She looks behind to Tiffany, gives her a small smile, and says "Thanks." Tiffany gives her a light push as the shorter girl uses it to force herself towards the back office.

There was her boss, writing away as usual. She closes the door behind her before piping up, "H-hey." 'Great, nice one, A.J.' she criticizes herself with. Without looking up and continuing his paperwork, the boss states "Hm? You need something? I thought you already went home." "Well, I'm about to, but I needed to ask you about something" she tells him. "Yeah? Go ahead. Is it about another rare single or album? Vacation?" he goes on. "No, no, it's... About me moving up..." she shares. "What? You want _my_ job?" he continues. "Huh? No!" "So... You wanna be in charge of another store? I'm not even sure when the next one will be made or opened" her boss explains. "No! I don't want to be in charge of another store! Why are you jumping straight into store owner?! I'm just asking about being a manager" A.J. tells him. THAT made him stop writing, as he sets his pencil down and looks at her, puzzled. He then smirks and leans back on his chair, asking "What, did Todd put you up to this? Surprised you'd rather tease me than go home with Tiffany, unless Tiffany put you up to this."

"NO, I'm telling you, I want to promote to MANAGER" she exaggerates the last part for him, hoping that he'd finally understand. Her boss leans forward, however, perplexed, and states, "A.J., you're already a manager..." It took A.J. a moment to process what he said, afterwards uttering "W-what?" 'What is he even talking about?' she further thought. "Wait... Don't tell me you didn't know this entire time, didn't you?" "Look, I have no idea what YOU are talking about, so please explain it to me" A.J. asked, earnestly. "Okay, okay. I guess I never told you, even though I thought I did. A.J., you've already been promoted. You've been a manager for four years now" he explains. "F-four _years?_ " She couldn't believe it. That must mean that she had been made one when...

"So after those two morons of managers had quit on me, obviously I needed someone to take over for them. I quickly showed you how to do manager duties, and you caught on pretty fast, though I guess I never referred to them as such. Not to mention that you've had quite a raise after your first year. I could've sworn I told you... Sorry." A.J. couldn't believe what she was hearing. She thought that she got a huge raise for being good, which she was grateful for. But now it's different. She became a manager a year after she started working for this store, and she didn't even know this entire time. The more her boss went on about it, the hotter her ears felt. Like a flush taking over her face from embarrassment. "Hey, you okay there?" her boss now asks.

Realizing her face is probably turning red, she stutters "I-I gotta go!" before storming out. When she made it to the counter she finds her girlfriend talking to Todd. Tiffany begins to say "Oh, A.J.! What di-" but was interrupted by the shorter girl taking her hand and pulling her out of the store, speed-walking straight to the car. When they got to the vehicle, A.J. immediately stops and Tiffany steps in front of her. "Love-bug, what's wrong?!" the taller girl asks. But A.J. didn't want to talk about it, looking down and pleading "Just, take us home, please." "Okay" Tiffany assures her, and they both get in the mazda and drive away. The entire ride to the apartment was quiet, the only thing heard was the sounds of cars speeding by and the radio playing the biggest hits, but A.J. couldn't take her mind out of what just happened.

Once parked near the front of their building, Tiffany shuts off the ignition and demands "Love-bug! Talk to me! What happened?! Please don't tell me that he said no to your promotion..." 'Oh, right. She must think I was denied' A.J. realized. She flashed a quick glance to her worried girlfriend, but then looked down again. Her back now felt hot and itchy from even THINKING about telling Tiffany about what just happened. "No no, I wasn't denied at all," A.J. tries to say while turned away, quickly faces the worried girl before following, "Don't worry." But the idea of her not knowing she became one rushed back to her head, making her face flushed so she instinctively turns away again. " _A.J.!_...Then, what's the problem?"

A.J. decides to cross her arms to build at least SOME confidence to vocalize the problem. She sighs, and finally states, "Turns out I've been a fucking manager for four years..." "You WHAT?" Tiffany exclaims. That was exactly the type of reaction A.J. didn't want to hear, further secluding herself by placing her right elbow on the passenger door's armrest and placing that hand over her eyes. "Wait, no, that was a bad response! Come back, please" Tiffany requested. The taller girl gently pulls A.J.'s left arm to the girl, unbuckles both of their belts, and tries to lean on the shorter girl as much as she could.

"Why are you upset?" her girlfriend asks her. "It's just, I feel so stupid. Like, of course I'm a manager. I've been doing the work all this time. Maybe I'm upset that I thought I had gotten a huge raise back then because I was good at my job. That was the first time I was appreciated for trying my best for a whole year back then. Or at least that's what I thought. Or maybe I'm upset for not knowing this entire time. Or that I'm just so stupid" A.J. rants. Tiffany pulls away and grabs A.J.'s shoulders, declaring, "Love-bug, if I know you're not anything in the entire world, it's stupid. You are absolutely _not_ that." "Yeah but-" "But nothing! You just didn't know! It's okay! And you did do your best back then, which is why he made you a manager! He saw that you'd be great for it! So, he made you one!" Tiffany interrupted, seemingly trying her best to dispel all worries from her.

Taking in Tiffany's words, they did make sense, if A.J. rationalized it. "It's still not how I preferred to find out about this, you know" A.J. brought up. The taller girl takes her hands and agrees, "You're right. Something like that is important! So, at the very least, congratulations, love-bug!," and gives her a big hug. A.J. couldn't help but be happy, settling into one of her favorite things, only because it was with her favorite person. Separating, A.J. says "Thanks, sweetie. Let's head inside."

Now normally, the Rocker girl would lift each leg to untie her kicks before flicking them off to the side. Instead, she simply crouches down as if she was tying them up and heading out. Tiffany seems to use that as her advantage, for she jumps onto her and wraps her arms around the now balled up A.J. "Tiffany..." "A.J.! Now I know how your mind works, so you better not start overthinking about what happened earlier! You're a very radical girl, and I love you very, very much! So please don't! Okay?" Tiffany expresses. "Hm, I'll try not to. Thanks," A.J. said. She didn't expect to think more on it later. 'But she is right, I probably would've thought about it again sooner or later' she amuses herself with.

"Are you going to let go now? Or will I need a crowbar to pry myself free?" A.J. now teases. "We don't even have one! Yet." "Yet?" "Well, you never know! We might need one someday!" Tiffany stated. "In any case..." A.J. hinted at, and Tiffany got the picture, slowly letting go. She was finally able to take off her shoes and stood back up. Well, momentarily, for Tiffany made her attack again, pouncing A.J. onto the sofa this time. "T-Tiffany, I need time to breathe!" she tries to tell the girl, but it was no use. The taller girl was already kissing her neck. 'Well, I mean, if she's already starting...' A.J. thinks to herself, going along with whatever Tiffany wants to do. She leans in for a kiss.

But is stopped by the girl who started the whole thing. "Wait! Let's turn on the tube first!" Tiffany suggests. A.J. frowns, more so because she didn't want to be stopped for something as trivial as that. "Don't give me that look! It's fun to listen to music too while we, kiss! And stuff" Tiffany states. "I suppose" A.J. sighs, and starts to sit up properly on the sofa. "Aw, A.J., no! I just wanted to do both, y'know? You like music a lot too!" her girlfriend says. "Okay, okay, I get it. It does make things, more fun, I guess. Here," A.J. says, grabs the remote, and clicks on the TV.

The two hear clapping from Tiffany's favorite channel, and a particular sound got their attention. It was the music video of a song that was really popular lately, and for great reason. Called "Running Up That Hill" from Kate Bush. It starts off with someone hitting their drum in a, colonial style before it pans out to everyone, who were wearing brown robes, Kate Bush front and center. She was wearing a very long brown trench coat herself. But there was something else that caught A.J.'s attention more than the music video. It was Tiffany, who looked mesmerized by it. She was curious as to why that specific one caught Tiffany's eyes and ears, so she thought to ask about it.

"Sweetie?" Her voice snapped the taller girl out of it. Turning to her, Tiffany raises her eyebrows, uttering "Hm?! Hey!" "This song always catches your attention when it comes on, especially on TV." Tiffany thought about it for a moment, then replying "Hehe, you might think my thought process is a little weird if I told you..." "No, tell me. I wanna hear it" A.J. expressed. "Well, this song, when she says she wanted to trade places with man, or whoever she loves, so they can understand each other? She want to make a deal with God to do it, right?" Tiffany starts off. A.J. nods in affirmation, signaling to show she understood so far. "So, I didn't think that was what she meant at all. At least until recently. I _thought_ she meant that she wanted to exchange places with God, so they can understand one another! Like maybe by doing so she could have more faith in, life? While I guess God could maybe make everybody's lives easier by being in HER shoes!" Tiffany explains. A.J. was impressed. That would've definitely been an even better vision for the song if that interpretation was the correct one.

"But," the taller girl continues, "Me thinking about it in that kind of way makes me think about something else too..." "Like what?" "Like, our situation. How we can't be seen _together_ together, despite dating and being in love. If there _is_ supposedly a God, then why do we have to hide our love? Why do we have to deal with bullshit?" Tiffany asks. The girl looked a bit saddened. A.J. didn't think Tiffany was still thinking about stuff like this.

"Tiffany I'm sor-" she tries to console, but is cut off by her girlfriend. "No no, I get it! I'm not blaming you ever! I get why we have to, I guess, hide, during in public, but it still sucks. I wanna show the whole world how much you mean to me!" Tiffany says. "I really do too" the shorter girl agrees, but imagines the countless strangers that would currently give hateful remarks. She tries to shake it out of her head. "But maybe we can try to get away with it every once in a while?" Tiffany asks. "I don't think that's a good idea-" A.J. tried to say but Tiffany continued on. "And if they try to pick a fight with us you can knock 'em out! And then maybe I can cover your back-" But that suggestion brought images of Tiffany potentially getting physically hurt into her head. Then she remembered that night. "Tiffany I can't risk going through almost losing you agai-"

A.J. realized where she was going with that sentence so she stopped herself before finishing. She did NOT want to dive into her deepest fear. Tiffany herself looked concerned before stating "I was just kidding! I get it. We need to stay safe... Are you okay?" "Y-yeah! Sorry. ANYWAYS, maybe it'll get better! In the future, y'know?" A.J. tries to assure the girl, whilst also trying to regain her composure. "You think so?" Tiffany questions. Leaning back into the sofa and taking the taller girl's hand, A.J. responds "Absolutely. It has to. Considering everything we went through, the only way to go is up, right?"

Tiffany looked down to reflect on what she said, with the furrowed brows and pouting face that A.J. finds all too adorable, then reverting to that cheerful side of hers again, turning to her and exclaiming "Of course!" Satisfied, and more so relieved, A.J. relaxes and settles onto Tiffany's shoulder. "Cool," she tells her, while the music video for "One More Night" by Phil Collins starts playing. "We should've gone to Bruce Springsteen's tour when he was here last month!" the taller girl now brings up, no doubt the idea stemming from them enjoying Phil Collins' concert with Megan. "We can probably still catch Tina Turner's! What was hers called again?" Tiffany continues.

"The Private Dancer Tour?" A.J. answers. "Yeah! That's the one!" "Sweetie, I don't think we'll be able to make it, considering that her last L.A. concert is tomorrow night, on a _Saturday_. I doubt we'll be able to even get tickets on a freakin' weekend" A.J. states. "Well that sucks" Tiffany pouts. "Don't worry, we'll catch even more, _radical_ concerts in the future" the shorter girl teases. "Like you! The most radical girl in the whole world!" the taller girl now exclaims, facing her, then bringing her face closer to A.J.'s.

"Now then, 'Ms. Manager,' I believe I had given you a rain check for our, 'moment,' earlier." "Is this from your old waitress job experience? How many customers do you do this for?" A.J. counters, playing along. "Only one; for a certain 'Rocker Chick'." "You're quite 'The Flirty Girl', aren't you?" "STOP, you _know_ how much I HATE that nickname!" Tiffany complains. Laughing, A.J. says "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Now, where were we?" They both close any space left between them, and A.J. gets to feel her love's lips once again. She allows Tiffany to take the lead again while they kiss, with the bundle of energy slipping the hands into her tank as normal. But this time A.J. slides her own hands into Tiffany's top. She slowly slides them higher and higher until...

The phone rings. Exhaling a sigh, A.J. laughs an "Of course it rings." "Don't stop. Ignore it" Tiffany breathes out words of her own. The phone continues ringing. A.J. sits back up once again, stating "I can't. Maybe it could be important." Getting up, she takes Tiffany's hand briefly and then letting go, with the bundle of energy shouting "I love you! Hurry back." "I love you too" A.J. reciprocates just as she reaches for the receiver and picks it up.

"Hello?" the shorter girl greets, not even bothering to say whole spiel of whose residence it is. "Hi A.J.!" That voice. "Tina?!" A.J. asks. She happy hearing their good friend's voice, as well as Tiffany, who definitely heard that name and turned around on the sofa to look at her talk to the blonde. "Yeah! How have you been?" Tina asks from the other side. "Um, I think I'm doing okay. I just didn't expect you to call at this hour" A.J. said.

"Yeah, well," Tina laughs, and admits "This may sound pretty lame, but I kinda had a premonition about you earlier today. I just wanted to make sure." "I didn't know your power could do stuff like that" the shorter girl comments. "It kinds sucks, 'cause it has me check up on people close to me. Whether or not I want to, that is. Just my luck hahaha" Tina continues giggling. "I can see why that could be a problem. But for me, Tiffany has been wanting me to go for a promotion. You know, be a manager, right? "Uh huh?" Tina urges. "Well, turns out that I've been one for four years now" A.J. told her. "Wow, really?! How did that even happen?" Before A.J. could reply to Tina's question, Tiffany got up and skipped to the shorter girl, giving her a hug. "Hold on, Tiffany wants to talk to you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm STILL exhausted! Wonderful! Poor A.J. though... Well, at least she got a promotion super early in her life! The smallest cameos of Tina, but hopefully we'll see her again soon. She can't fly in all the time! That takes money. Replaying The Game made me realize how much I missed playing either girl. I love them too much. Next time will be a birthday! Stay safe.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With such a traumatic night and coming to terms with it, the two girls and their friends will have to help each other to make the rest of their lives a better one. Especially the two girls, who will always have each other. Adventures in the Tiffany and A.J. Saga!

"A.J.! A.J.!" Tiffany tries to shout, without being too obnoxious. A.J. was barely audible, mumbling out a "Hmm...?" "Love-bug, wake _up!_ " she tries again. A.J. opens her eyes, and stares at the taller girl, who just moments ago quietly got on her hands and knees to softly crawl and hover over her girlfriend. "Can I have just a few more minutes?" the shorter girl bargains. "No way! We have work! Also...," Tiffany prepares to announce, following with "It's your birthday! Happy freakin' birthday, love-bug!" The Rocker girl looked taken aback for a split second before regaining her composure, smiling and stating "Thank you, sweetie. Come here." The girl lifts her arms and pulls Tiffany down into a hug. Well, kind of. Tiffany was more so laying on top of her girlfriend, but that didn't stop her from trying to cuddle with the shorter girl.

She COULD kiss A.J., but she knows how self-conscious the shorter girl feels about "morning breath." So instead, she decided to kiss other parts of her body. Namely the neck, then she moved down towards the collar bone, and couldn't contain herself. "Take off your shirt!" she tells A.J. "W-what? But-" The Rocker girl didn't get to finish the rebuttal, for Tiffany was already in the process of pulling off the pink shirt A.J. always wears to sleep with. Tiffany was about to pounce this time, until A.J. grabbed her shoulders.

" _Tiffany!_ I thought you said we had to go to work!" A.J. exclaims. "But, love-bug! I gotta make today special for you! Just be late this time" Tiffany shrugs off. A.J. didn't seem to like that suggestion, however. "You want me to be LATE? Sweetie, I've never been late to work in my whole life. As much as I don't like work sometimes, I kinda, can't,..." her girlfriend trails off, but Tiffany got the picture. A.J. is surprisingly diligent about work. Even a little prideful? Though the girl will never admit it. "Okay, okay, that might've been a bad idea... We really should take days off, huh? Like, really special days like these?" Tiffany asks, tilting her head. "Yeah, you may be right about that one. I'll try to remember for next year. Now," A.J. says, and hops off the bed, "I'm gonna take a shower." "No, wait! Let me go first!" Tiffany says. She really wants to make this day radical for A.J., and this was the start to make it special. "Sure, go ahead then" the shorter girl accepts, and Tiffany happily skips to the bathroom.

After she had finished, got dressed, and made herself look "too good," she starts part one to make her girlfriend's day great: making pancakes. She had enough time, since A.J. was showering. And Tiffany woke them early enough too, so A.J. will take a little bit more time. She grabs two bowls, mixes the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the first one. Once that was done, she mixes the milk, eggs, and vegetable oil in the second bowl. While stirring, she caught herself humming that one Bee Gees song, "More Than a Woman", and she didn't know why. It just popped into her head for some reason. It was extremely popular when the two of them just started high school. Separately, of course. Though Tiffany would've preferred otherwise. A.J. definitely would've preferred otherwise, too. Giggling at such a nice thought, she pours the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ones and stirs them together for a bit. She then turns on the stove and begins making the fluffy food.

The taller girl only made six of them, but she was proud of her work yet again. Just as she was done, A.J. walks in, who just finished her own trademarks looks. Tiffany grabs the shorter girl's plate of pancakes and presents them to her. "Ta-dah!" she announces, handing A.J. the food. Stunned for a split second, A.J. says "O-oh! Thank you." "Mhm! You're welcome! Only for you, love-bug!" she tells her.

Tiffany, ever since they moved in, was always happy when she found out that she's a faster eater than A.J., for she can watch her girlfriend eat happily. Despite being tough, seeing the girl eating something as simple as fluffy pancakes always brought a smile to her face. " _Tiffany_ , please, I'm eating" A.J. urges. "But you look so cute when you eat them! You're so happy! Hey, when I make some next time, do you want me to put something inside of them? Like blueberries, or strawberries, maybe even some chocolate chips?" Tiffany asks. The last suggestion piqued A.J.'s curiosity, since she loves chocolate, so the girl ponders on it while chewing, until she swallows and states "No, it's okay. I like 'em like this. Thank you though. Different topic, are you sure you don't wanna go to Mitch's party tonight?"

"Of course I'm sure! You don't like big groups of people! So, I thought that it'd be nice for you to relax this time" Tiffany happily explains. "Well, I mean, it's rare for all of us to be together..." A.J. trails off, and that surprised Tiffany. "Love-bug! Are you saying that you wanna see them?!" she questions the shorter girl. Kenny had invited them to what they believe is now an annual Halloween party at Mitch's place again, but Tiffany had told him that they couldn't make it, considering that it is also A.J.'s birthday. But A.J. saying that she practically misses their friends changes things a little bit. It reminded her of when the same girl pushed them to visit everyone for New Year's Eve.

"Uh, well, though it would be nicer if it was just us for my birthday..." A.J. now admits. Tiffany giggles, thinking 'There's the girl I know so well!' "It can just be us today, don't worry" she vocalizes. "In that case, since it's also Halloween, do you wanna watch a scary movie? We can check out what's in theaters" A.J. suggests. As much as Tiffany would be down for anything that her girlfriend wants to do, she wasn't too keen on getting scared, that fact being shown on the look of her face. "Then," A.J. continues, "What about... The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

That's an idea. When Tiffany was in high school, there were moments where she slipped away from those "popular kids" to check out that movie. And man was it an experience. She was always lucky enough for the ticket seller to let her see it despite not being 18 at the time, since it was an R-rated movie. Though she's sure it was only because she's cute. The first time she watched it, she didn't even know what was going on. Audience members either shouting dialogue from the movie, or just making stuff up to make each other laugh. But soon she joined in from time to time. She wishes she kept going to see it, but her "friends" started dragging her to more and more places towards the end of their high school career. After that, and due to being a waitress, she had completely forgotten all about that movie. Until her love-bug just suggested it.

"That'd be fun!" she told A.J. "Yeah? You sure?" the shorter girl asks. 'She doesn't know how much I've seen it!' Tiffany thought to herself. She's definitely going to make this a surprise for the birthday girl. "Yeah, totally! Although, isn't it normally at midnight? We still have another work day tomorrow before the weekend" Tiffany brings up. "If we get little sleep, we can tough it out through one day tomorrow." "Okay, but you better actually get up when I try to wake you tomorrow" she warns the shorter girl. "No promises."

In front of Tower Records about forty-five minutes later, Tiffany gives A.J. a big hug before the latter leaves the passenger seat. And pulls her in for a quick kiss as well. "Happy birthday, love-bug! I love you!" Tiffany exclaims. A.J., who had just gotten out after the sweet gesture, smiles and reciprocates "Thank you. I love you too." The girl closes the passenger door and heads into the store. 'Next year we'll take off work for our birthdays' Tiffany reiterates for themselves. She pulls off just as "Mystic Rhythms" started playing on the radio, from that album Rush put out two days prior, " _Power Windows_ ". "And A.J. still somehow ends up missing a Rush song again" Tiffany says to herself. Maybe "The Rocker Chick" is just not meant to listen to Rush, despite them being a rock band themselves. She jams to it a bit as she motors to the Auto Repair.

It was just like any other day at the shop, except that Tiffany decorated it with some small Halloween trinkets, like pumpkins and flag garlands to spruce up the place a little bit to get into the festive spirit. Harvs didn't seem to care for it though. "Remember, you're the one who put them up, so you're taking 'em down tomorrow. Don't forget" he tells her. "I _know_ " Tiffany responded. She hates it when he treats her like a child. But she didn't let it get to her too much, considering how special today is. She starts humming that Bee Gees song once again while she works on the heater for this pale yellow 1979 Ford Fairmont. She personally thought the weather was still kinda nice without one, so she didn't have to worry about wearing Winter gear at the moment. Though she is looking forward to A.J. wearing the long-sleeve shirts again! She continues humming and working, until she was interrupted by an observation that was made from her boss.

"You seem pretty chipper today. At least even more than usual" he stated. "Hm?! Oh, it's because it's A.J.'s birthday today!" she told him. "Ah" was all he said for a while. It was about half an hour later before he pipes up again with "Tell her I said happy birthday." Tiffany gasps, and exclaims "Totally!" There had been something on her mind for quite a while now, as far back as when the couple had their first anniversary. "Harvs," she begins. "Harvey" he interjects. "Harvs!," she reiterated, and more calmly, asks "Do you have anyone special? To you?" There was a pause, until he only said "My late wife." That was not an answer Tiffany expected at all, and instead of asking more about her as she normally would, she just left it at that.

Aside from a lack of conversation the rest of the remaining hours, they still asked one another where specific tools were or help lifting something. Then he reminded her that she needed to leave soon, so she finished what she was doing and sprinted right into the single-toilet restroom. After she changed and spruced up again, she got out and slowly walked up to Harvey. "Harvs?" she began. "Yeah?" "I'm sorry about asking that question" Tiffany apologized. She didn't want to upset him or bring up something potentially painful from his past. She wouldn't want anyone to do that to her. "It's fine. Go pick up your A.J. already" he waves off. Taking that as a sign that everything should be okay, she speeds to the mazda, hops in, and hightails it to her girlfriend's store. While following safety laws, of course. Her plan is on a time limit. Considering that A.J. always gets off on time, then everything should go well. She hopes so. She's actually a bit nervous for once.

Tiffany pulls up at the nick of time, as A.J. walks out afterwards. The shorter girl gets inside and Tiffany decides to shower her in hugs. "You're here! You're back! Welcome back!" she welcomes. Laughing and returning the hug, A.J. responds "Haha, thank you sweetie." The girl pulls them apart and asks "Was your day good?" Driving off, Tiffany answers "Um, it wasn't too bad. It was an easy day. I think I made Harvs upset though." "Really? How so?" "So I asked him if he had someone special in his life, right? His answer was his late wife" Tiffany explains. "Did he look mad???" A.J. questions. "Well, no, he looked the same that he always looked, and I even said sorry, but he said that it's fine" the taller girl states. "Oh. If it's fine, then it's fine. If it wasn't, then he would've told you to never bring her up again" the shorter girl rationalizes. Tiffany glanced at her girlfriend, and smiles with an "Yeah, you're right."

They later parked and got inside their apartment. "I'm just glad that everybody is more worried about trick-or-treating and partying instead of buying records today" A.J. sighs, kicking off the high tops. "You should shower!" Tiffany suggests. "But I'm all ready to go for later" A.J. points out. "Yeah, but you'll feel even more refreshed if you do! Just, wash away any thoughts of work!" Tiffany continues. "That's not a bad idea. That would help. Wanna join?" her girlfriend offers. As tempting as it sounds, and it really IS tempting, Tiffany is forced to pass on it, for one reason. "No, it's okay! I'll take mine after yours! Relax today!" she tells A.J. The shorter girl looked a bit surprised when Tiffany replied that, but didn't seem to think much of it. "Okay, I'll go first then" was all A.J. said before going into the bathroom. Once Tiffany heard the shower starting, she heads to the front door and enacts the last part of her plan. She knocks three times. Two knocks are heard near her foot, so the taller girl opens the door.

And there was Deborah, holding a rectangle tupperware container with both hands. "Debbie!" Tiffany quietly exclaims. "I'm glad I was able to spot your car when you two drove in. I had to knock using my foot though" Deborah tells her. "That's fine! Thank you for bringing this! I'll call you tomorrow!" the bundle of energy says. "Okay, I'll be waiting" Deborah says before waving a goodbye and closing the door. Tiffany hums excitedly to herself, looking at what she's holding. In her hands was a cake she baked over at Deborah's house two days ago. She went over to there under the pretense of "hanging out," even though the two did indeed hang out and caught up. Tiffany was able to use the Kim's household's kitchen and whipped up a cake for her girlfriend! It was the perfect place, as she definitely would've been caught if she tried to make it at their apartment. She _could've_ taken a day off of work to make it, but she would've had no place to hide it while also making sure A.J. couldn't find it. Deborah's parents were more than okay with it too, as they've come to love her over the number of times she's come over.

The cake is covered in white icing, decorated with an orange jack-o'-lantern! She tried to make it look exactly the same as the one they stole from Mitch's last year, but she doesn't think she did a great job. 'It's the thought that counts!' she pumps herself with. At least it's chocolate, A.J.'s favorite flavor. She sets the cake on the dining table, placed twenty candles on the cake, surrounding the jack-o'-lantern, and two more on the eyes. 'Hehe' she laughs to herself, then goes into one of the drawers in the counter and picks up the matches, scratching one against the striker on the box to light it, and lit up all of the candles. Satisfied, she sits down on one of the chairs and just waits.

Some time later A.J. finishes showering, steps into the bedroom to blow-dry her hair and change. Once she was done with that, Tiffany gets up and runs to the bedroom. She gets behind her love-bug and places her hands over the shorter girl's eyes. "Are we playing guess who?" A.J. wonders. "If you'd like! But first we have to go to the kitchen! And yes, like this" Tiffany answers, implying that she'll push them with A.J.'s eyes covered. "If you say so" the shorter girl follows suit, and the two awkwardly make their way to the kitchen. "Keep your eyes closed when I sit you down, okay?!" " _Okay_ , okay, I promise" A.J. says, and Tiffany slowly uncovers her eyes and pulls out the chair for the shorter girl, helping her sit down.

Tiffany quickly heads to the light switch to flick it down, and returns to the side of the table opposite of A.J. "Okay, you can open your eyes now!" she tells her. A.J. does so, and is impressed. "O-oh!" the Rocker girl utters. Like last year, Tiffany sings the "Happy Birthday to You" song, with A.J. looking a bit bashful yet again. Once done, A.J., still somewhat embarrassed, says "You didn't have to sing that..." "Yes, I _have_ to sing it! I will ALWAYS sing it on your birthday, so you better get used to it! Especially since now we're the same age again!" Tiffany exclaims.

"I suppose we are," A.J. chuckles, but then asks, "Where did you get this cake?" "Where did I get this cake?! _I_ made this cake!" Tiffany proudly states, gesturing to herself with her thumb. "You made this for me?!" "Of course I did! You did make one for me on my birthday! Which I still think is super sweet! Now that I _know_ it's your birthday this time, I was able to plan it ahead of time! So, make your wish and blow out the candles!" the taller girl says. A.J. thinks about it, and then does just that, blowing out the candles.

"So, did I surprise you with the cake?" Tiffany now asks. "Up until the point where you had me sit down. The smell of these candles burning gave it away" A.J. smirks. "Damn it" Tiffany curses herself. "But I'm more surprised that you made this, because aside from the shape, this looks exactly like the one at Mitch's from last year" A.J. stated. "Really?! You think so?! I tried really hard, but I couldn't remember..." Tiffany frowns. "No, this is spot on. I remember it perfectly," A.J. stated with sentiment, complimenting "And it looks like you did too. Is it...?" "Chocolate? Totally! Oh, and I have something else for you!" Tiffany answers, and goes to the sofa. She lifts one of the cushions and grabs the thin package. 

"Here you go!" she says. Looking bashful yet again, A.J. shyly takes it and opens the gift. "Whoa!" A.J. says. "I got you light blue and black-striped leggings this time! So that we have TWICE the amount of matching outfits this time!" Tiffany announces. "I'm actually glad you told me, 'cause it's kinda hard to see in the dark" A.J. laughs. "Huh?" Tiffany tilts her head, and then remembered that they have been talking in the dark since the shorter girl blew out the candles. "Oops! I didn't even realize! Let me go turn them on!" Tiffany states, getting up and heading to the switch, but is stopped by A.J., who tugs her to the shorter girl. Tiffany is pulled into a hug, and she is absolutely enjoying the warmth. A.J. shifts slightly so she can pull Tiffany into a kiss, and Tiffany accepts it fully.

"Radical..." Tiffany breathes out. "Thank you for today" A.J. says earnestly. "Don't thank me just yet, 'cause your birthday still isn't over! But before we have some cake, wanna get some food first?" Tiffany suggests. "Yeah, let's order some pizza!" A.J. answers, Tiffany hoping that A.J. will always get to be full of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we're back! Work is absolutely kicking my butt. I barely have enough time to recover, let alone write! But here it is, and not too far from the day it was supposed to come out on. It makes me sad it's released on a Saturday instead of a Friday, but it is what it is. I can't believe its been eighteen chapters since A.J.'s last birthday! We need to trim this story down! I doubt I'll be able to, as 1986 will be a teensy bit of a doozy when I get to it. At least we'll have more of this couple! And hopefully their friends too. We'll see. Have fun!
> 
> Also, due to me freezing in Texas, the next chapter won’t be out until March 5.


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